Trouble Comes in Threes
by Elektronik-Rainbow
Summary: When an all out war breaks out between angels and demons, who will come to London's aid? Ciel? Alois? How about three mischievious triplets with tragic pasts and their butlers? Oh, how the shenanigans will unfold. *Spanking of minors in future chapters*
1. Odd Behavior

**Okay! This story starts out with a few OCs, but don't worry, I plan on adding the main characters in later chapters! Aphelia and Alistair belong to me; Ares, Ambrose, Avalina, and Avanthe belong to my two friends. Some spanking in later chapters as well so, heads up! Review please!**

**Oh yeah *Clears throat* : Kuroshitsuji does not belong to me, it belongs to Yana Toboso. Lucky...**

**~Enjoy!**

~*Alistair's POV*~

It had been, surprisingly, a rather calm day. The girls minded us and did as they were told- a scary thing in itself- and each lesson was seen to its completion without a single tantrum or word of backtalk. Though I was grateful for the reprieve, I was also a little nervous. Usually when the girls behaved themselves it was either because they were planning something or they had already gotten into trouble and didn't want us to find out.

I sat at the dining table, keeping an eye on the staircase, as I sipped my tea. The girls had all gathered into the playroom after lunch, and they hadn't made a noise since. Suddenly Ambrose burst through the swinging doors that led from the kitchen to the dining room and hurriedly walked towards me.

He slammed his open palm onto the table,"…..Crayons….." it was obvious he was trying to keep himself calm.

I sighed," Aphelia?"

He nodded slowly, death in his eyes," In the library…"

"Very well then, I'll handle this", I said as I set my cup down. Perhaps I was too hasty in my assessment of this day.

The first thing I did was walk into the library, just to see the damage. The sight that met my eyes nearly knocked me off my feet; there was shattered glass on the floors, all the books in the shelves had been thrown harshly to the ground, and every inch of the wall had been covered in crayon drawings, quite a few of which happened to be profanity, much to my displeasure.

"Quite a doozy isn't it?" asked Ares, who had an armful of glass.

"S-she did all of this?" I asked, stunned into silence.

"No, not quite, it appears that it was a joint effort", he said, a hint of irritation evident in his voice.

Ah, so this is what the girls were trying to hide.

I gritted my teeth and sighed," I'll go deal with Aphelia"

He nodded, but both of our attention shifted as we noticed a shadow suddenly dart past the door.

"Get back in here", I said with a slightly raised voice.

Aphelia's tiny form peered out from behind the doorframe.

"Come here", I said. The silly child came in, but only as far as the desk; which was about 10 feet away from me.

"No, come_ here_", I pointed to a spot in front of me. She looked about the room nervously as if she was contemplating on leaving or not.

"One", I started counting. She immediately snapped back and hurried to the spot I pointed to.

I placed my hands on my hips, "Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"

Suddenly her attitude changed from bashful to her usual insolent self.

"You ass! How can you accuse me without even a fair questioning? It was probably Avanthe or Avalina!" she stomped her foot in indignation.

I raised my brow at her as I picked up a crayon box with her name on it.

She visibly gulped,"They must've stolen and used it for their own sick games!"

"Shall I add lying to your punishment then?"

She hesitated for a moment, deciding that it offered nothing in her favor, and sighed," No."

"Then I want you to wait for me in your room. The three of you will apologize later tonight"

The child was glaring daggers at me.

"Don't look at me like that; you've gotten yourself into this mess. Now go", I turned her in the direction of the stairs and gave her a small push.

She stomped away reluctantly.

~*Aphelia's POV*~

It had been a good twenty minutes since Alistair sent me up here. I presume my sisters had been dealt the same fate, but I wanted to make sure. So I walked over to my toy box, and at the very bottom was a trumpet; well, it was a communication tube disguised as a trumpet that happened to be connected to my other two sisters' rooms.

"Hey, Avanthe, Avalina, you guys in there?"

"Ya", said Avanthe

"Mhmm", said Avalina

"What's the jiffy on your butlers?"

"Ares was pretty mad; he didn't even speak to me when he shut the door"

"Ya same with Ambrose, I can tell that he's furious because he took away my chocolate"

I gasped," What? No way! That bastard! Ya well Alistair's being an asshole right now; he took away my crayons and he's making me stand in the corner while I wait for him. I mean seriously, what in the hell is that supposed to teach me? If I do bad shit I get to stretch my legs? What a fuckin' dumbass." I laughed, more to myself than anything,"Hey, have your butlers checked on you guys yet?"

"Ya, Ambrose just left"

"Same here"

I paused momentarily and looked behind me only to have my eyes come face to face with, ah shit, Alistair's pant leg.

"Um, yeah, I gotta go!" I said hurriedly into the trumpet.

I quickly shoved everything back in the toy box and turned to face Alistair's pant leg again.

I peered tentatively up at him, and then quickly looked back down as I saw his seething glare.

"Uh, Alistair I-"

"Stand up", he said harshly

Fear struck into my heart.

"I'm sorry, come again?"

"Stand. Up"

I did so, and the moment I was on two feet, Alistair spun me around and delivered three sharp swats to my backside.

It was more shocking than anything-wait, what the hell am I saying? It hurt like a bitch! - but it left me shaking slightly and had me fighting back tears as my throat tightened.

"What part of 'stand in the corner and don't make a sound' is hard for you to understand?" he asked with a low voice.

I shook my head.

"I can't hear you"

Asshole! "Nothing", I said quietly

"And how come it sounded like you were talking to Avalina and Avanthe? Is there something Ambrose, Ares, and I should know?"

I kept my head lowered and my eyes to the floor.

"Well? Is there?" his voice raised

"N-n…Yessir", I said through choked back tears.

"Give it to me"

I looked up at him," B-but-"

"_Now_"

I sobbed, embarrassingly loud," I can't! It's attached to the toy box!"

He quietly growled in irritation and stalked over to the toy box, where he picked up the trumpet, examined it for a second before taking out scissors and cutting the cord.

"Sit", he told me, gesturing to the chair by my fireplace. I quickly climbed into it, wincing slightly as my toosh hit the cushion, "Now, I'm going to throw this out and tell Ambrose and Ares about your little communication system. When I come back, you'd best be in that chair. Understood?"

"Yessir"

He fixed me with a hard glare before heading out of the room.

As soon as the door shut, I felt a wave of guilt wash over me, and fresh, hot tears began to slide their way down my face. Part of me wanted to believe I felt this way because I had gotten caught and in turn gotten my two sisters in trouble. But my heart knew that it was because I had managed to push Alistair this far without realizing it. Was I really that bad? Sure he's scolded and yelled and lord knows he's swatted me enough times, but never has he looked at me with such…I don't know…hatred?...before. It was enough to make me feel pretty crummy, and it was enough to make me break down and cry into my knees (Which, I hate to say, doesn't take much).

I cried for what felt like an eternity. I cried until my head hurt, and I was hiccupping uncontrollably. My throat was getting sore from the spasming and so was my stomach, but I still didn't feel any better. So I cried some more. I kept on crying until I felt a warm hand rest on my shoulder.

I looked up, and through my veil of tears I saw Alistair looking down at me with warmth in his eyes again.

~*Alistair's POV*~

I had entered Aphelia's bedroom, hell-bent on throttling the child. However, upon entering, I noticed that she was crying. Perhaps, that's an understatement; the child was sobbing so violently, I feared that her lungs would burst from the pressure of slamming against her ribs.

I soundlessly walked over to her side and all my resolve was lost; instead of anger, I felt my heart shatter upon looking at her.

I placed my hand on her shaking shoulder, in order to provide comfort since this is partly my doing, as she looked up at me with red-rimmed eyes.

I couldn't take it any more! Without thinking, I picked her up and nearly broke the child in half with a monstrous hug. Then I settled on slowly rocking back and forth while rubbing soothing circles on her back until she could get her breathing under control.

"…'listair...I-I'm…sor-ry", I heard her mumble into my shoulder.

"Shhh, it's okay, you're forgiven"

For some reason, this made her cry harder. I swear, this child cries more tears than the Hoover Dam can hold.

I sighed; this was going to take a while. As it was already getting quite late, I wordlessly headed into her bathroom to draw her a bath. Once inside I sat her on the counter while I turned the knobs.

"…Are you still mad?" Aphelia finally said, sniffling pathetically.

I looked at her and answered honestly," I'm not so much mad as disappointed"

~*Aphelia's POV*~

Ugh, what part of an adult's brain made it think that that was a good answer?

"…Oh", I said. I wasn't crying anymore and I felt better, but my stupid voice kept hitching occasionally.

Alistair walked over and ruffled my hair affectionately before unbuttoning my dress and dumping me in the tub.

"Ow! This water is too hot!" I complained.

"Shush, child, I checked it myself. It is perfectly fine"

"Of course that's easy for you to say! You're a demon; you come from the fiery pits of hell!"

"Actually, contrary to popular belief, hell is quite cold."

"Whatever", I huffed.

Once my bath was done, Alistair wrapped me up in a warm towel and sat me on the counter again, so he could drain the tub and get my clothes.

"I don't wanna go to bed." I whined as he readied me for bed.

Alistair sighed," It doesn't matter whether you want to or not, a child your age needs their sleep"

I took a step closer to the door.

"If you dare leave this room, I can ensure that you'll never see another ice cream sundae again!"

I immediately walked back to the bed.

Alistair pulled back the covers so I could climb in before he tucked me in for the night. He then walked over to the mirrors and covered them with a sheet, turned off all of the lights so that the only light source was the glow of the fireplace, and settled himself in the chair next to my bed and began to read.

Twenty-minutes had passed and I still was unable to sleep.

"Hey Alistair?"

He blinked in slight surprise and turned his head towards me," Yes my dear?"

"I really am sorry about today. I didn't mean to make you mad."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, I didn't mean to make you _that_ mad"

He laughed softly," All is forgiven. Besides, I have come to expect such things from the three of you."

I threw one of my pillows at him," What's that supposed to mean?"

He chuckled again as he walked over to put it back behind my head," It means that you need to settle down and go to sleep."

"But I'm not sleepy"

"Would you like me to make you some tea? Or read you a story?"

"Read me a story"

He proceeded to tell me about a little girl in red who would travel in the woods against her mother's wishes and was gobbled up by a wolf. At this point, my eyes began to feel heavy and I let out a yawn. Alistair tucked me in tighter and kissed my forehead goodnight before going back to read his book.

"Hey Alistair?"

His eyes met mine before they lazily went back to the book," Yes my dear?"

"Do you think we can go to the park tomorrow?"

"I don't see why not"

"Good. Well then, good night."

"Good night"

"….Hey Alistair?"

I noticed his fingers grip tighter around the book," Yes?"

"Did Avalina and Avanthe get punished too?"

He nodded absently," I would presume so; they were just as guilty as you were."

"Oh"

Alistair went back to reading his book.

"Hah! I bet they got whooped too huh?"

"Good _night_, Aphelia"


	2. An Interesting Day at the Park

~*Aphelia's POV*~

"Hey, hey! Do you think when we go to the park we could feed the duckies? And then after that can we go to the candy shop? I wanna get some licorice, and then after that I wanna go to the toy store because-"

"Yes, yes! We can do all of that, now stay still!" Alistair said as he tried, unsuccessfully, to tie the strings on my coat.

"I don't see why we even need to wear these; it's springtime for god's sake!"

"Yes, but you forget that we're in London, dear", Alistair had finished fastening my coat and continued onto fixing my hat in place.

"Meh, it's not all that cold", I said as I turned my head towards the window, only to have Alistair move it back to its original location.

"Stop moving", he admonished

"Well hurry up!"

Alistair fixed me with a hard look before taking my hands and slipping them into my gloves

"Good lord! I'm dressed for a snowstorm, not a day at the park! Take off some of this crap!"

"Absolutely not, I don't want you catching a cold"

"Hmph!" I pouted then mumbled under my breath," I bet Avanthe and Avalina don't look this stupid"

Though spoken at a volume no human would be able to decipher, Alistair heard them clearly and smirked as he lifted up my chin with his hand.

"Ah-ah, we'll have none of that. Now take that sour look off of your face so we can go."

I immediately perked up and ran downstairs.

.

~*Alistair's POV*~

I blinked and suddenly the child was no longer in front of me! I stood in place for a moment, bewildered, until I heard Aphelia's maniacal laughter come from downstairs. I peered over the banister to see her pointing and laughing at her two other sisters, who had sour expressions and equally adequate clothing.

As I observed, I realized that she had forgotten her doll. I went back into her room and retrieved it, but placed it in my inside coat pocket. Perhaps she would take better care of it if she thought it lost.

~*Aphelia's POV*~

"Bahahaaha! You two look so _DUMB_!", I laughed at Avanthe and Avalina.

Avanthe- who had one of those caps with the flaps that go over your ears all buttoned up under her chin and a bigass marshmallow coat- took a step towards me as if she was about to attack, but fortunately Ares placed a restraining hand on her shoulder.

Avalina- who had a scarf wrapped around her neck so that only her eyes were visible- shouted something at me.

"Oo, oopid ith! Oor ressed, dus a dumb!"

Her butler looked at her disapprovingly for some reason.

The ride to the park to for_ever._

"Are we there yet?" I asked

"No", Alistair responded

"Are we there yet?"

"No"

"Are we there yet?"

"No"

"Are we th-"

"Aphelia, I swear to god, if you ask one more time…." he said irritably as he rubbed his temples.

"….."

"….."

"….."

"….."

"Are we there yet?"

"NO!"

"Ooh, well, never mind then", I said, offended, as I gazed out of the window dejectedly.

Alistair sighed in irritation.

The millisecond the park was in sight Avalina, Avanthe, and I jumped out of the carriage; not even waiting for it to fully stop.

"WALK GIRLS!" Ares shouted to us, the only one who looked concerned while the other two looked annoyed.

We of course paid no attention as we continued running towards the street. The park was within sight! Of course we didn't notice the high-speed vehicles go both ways!

"HUAAAAAH!" screamed a delivery man as he swerved to avoid us, hitting another vehicle in the process. This, in turn, began to create a chain reaction of pile-ups.

We were about to continue the rest of the way when a pair of arms encircled the three of us and carried us safely across the street. I turned my head and saw Alistair trying to calm down the angry delivery man (who apparently was transporting eggs; not a pretty sight) along with all of the other people in the pile up. I swear I heard somebody screaming profanities. Ares was dispersing the crowd that had suddenly formed, which means that Ambrose was the one who was carrying us.

Once at the park, Ambrose casually placed us at the trunk of a giant tree while he began to set out the picnic cloth.

The moment the crowd had cleared, Ares ran back and grabbed Avanthe by the arm where he dragged her out of hearing range to lecture her, I presume. He looked too frazzled to do anything but that, at the moment at least.

Alistair strolled over and gave Avalina and me an exhausted glance before taking out his book and reading it.

Now, you may be wondering why in the hell Alistair and Ambrose are so casual about this whole situation. Well, the reason comes in two parts; Avalina, Avanthe, and I are all quite the handful and are all troublemakers.

However, we are different types of troublemakers; I suppose I could be classified as the "bratty child type" for my biting habits and my reputation of throwing tantrums in both public and private places; Avanthe could be classified as the "deceitful innocent type" because of her ability to fool people into thinking she is well-behaved and at the right moment, pulling an astronomical prank on those same people; and finally, Avalina could be classified as the "loudmouth-kid-who-won't-shut-up- in- a –restaurant-type" because of her way of voicing her opinions of everything and anyone, at high volumes.

Now, here's where the difference comes in. Our butlers. Alistair for example is accustomed to my outlandish behavior and has come to expect such things from me; for him, this is a daily occurrence.

The same goes for Avalina's butler, Ambrose. Her loud obscenities and insults have resulted in more than a few sticky situations, so to him this is but a minor infraction.

Avanthe's butler Ambrose, however, is much more mild- mannered and gentle than the other two. You see, he deals with Avanthe's trouble-making but her pranks are usually confined to the house. At least the ones he's aware of. So for him, well, he's not quite sure how to handle this situation.

However, though Ambrose and Alistair are used to us causing this kind of trouble, that didn't stop them from giving Avalina and me a ten-minute time out and a small lecture about looking both ways before crossing and the power of an apology.

"Ok girls, you can go play now", Alistair excused us

Without even a second thought, Avalina and I dashed onto the playground.

"HEY! Come back here and pick up your trash!" Ambrose yelled at Avalina. She trudged back over, snatched the candy wrapper from his hand (while giving him a look), and trudged back to where I was. Once on the playground she stuffed it in some kid's pocket.

~*Ares's POV*~

The girls had been playing for about a half-hour (Avanthe included) when I noticed a rather strange character lurking by the playground. I made sure all three girls were still were I could see them, and turned to the other two butlers.

"Do you guys see that man in the cloak over there?" I asked

"Yes, he strikes me as suspicious", Alistair said, his book abandoned and his full attention now towards the playground.

"I don't like the aura he's giving off, it's not that of a typical human", Ambrose said, sitting upright.

All three of us tensed up as we saw him going straight for the girls.

~*Aphelia's POV*~

"Go away kid!" I hollered as I threw a handful of sand at a boy. Little fucker tried to come into our sandcastle! Needlessly to say, he ran away crying while I put the piece of wood that we found back up so we could play in our secret clubhouse again.

~* Mysterious Man's POV*~

Evil lurks in this world. It is my job to purify it, and I plan to start with those three.

I walked over to the little girls' playhouse.

"Hello, may I come in?" I said

"What's the password?" one of them asked rather rudely

"Uh…cupcakes?"

"Nope"

"…", dammit, what do little girls play with,"…dollies?"

"WRONG! We'll give you a hint; it starts with a 'p' and ends with a 'p'"

What in the name of the Queen? "Um, pulp?"

I was greeted with a handful of sand and a rude impression of a buzzer.

"No you idiot! It's POOP!"

Human children, such silly beasts.

"Oh, okay then. Poop"

"Nope that's wrong too"

"Wha..?"

"Well, we had to change it since we told you. DUH!"

My infinite patience was wearing thin, "Well, may I speak to you three? I have candy"

One of the girls, a rather small one, ran out immediately and looked at me expectantly.

~*Aphelia's POV*~

The man said he had candy, and goddammit, I wanted candy!

"Aphelia! I don't think we should talk to this guy!" Avanthe whispered

"Ya, we don't even know his name!" said Avalina

They had a point, so I thought it was time to ask this strange man who he was.

"Ah, forgive me young ladies, my name is Ash"

~*Alistair's POV*~

Ash? The maniacal angel hell-bent of tearing down this world so he could build a new one, Ash? This was a bad situation, but all we could do was stay back and alert because there were too many witnesses. All I could do was hope that Aphelia had enough sense to walk away.

I saw him offer her a candy bar or something, and her taking it. Damn, so much for her having any sense.

~*Aphelia's POV*~

"This is the weirdest candy bar I've ever seen, where'd you get it?"

"Oh, it's not a candy bar, it's a kelp treat"

I had no idea what that was but I hoped it tasted good. I unwrapped this strange treat and took a bite, much to my sisters' horror.

I immediately spit it back out! It tasted like horse-shit! That's when I realized that this guy was no friend of ours. I exchanged glances with my sisters as we all raised our arms in front of us and made them to look like x's.

"STRANGER DANGER! STRANGER DANGER!" we screamed as we ran back to our butlers.

Once perched safely on Alistair's shoulders, I looked and saw that the man named Ash had been swarmed by the Scotland Yard. Good. For some reason though, the butlers were extremely tense.

Once at the mansion, we were hurriedly sent upstairs to our rooms.

"Huh? Why? It's only 8:30!" I protested as Alistair shepherded me into mine.

"I apologize, but just please do as we say. For once", he added as he shut my door.

I caught that little jibe but decided to ignore it as I sneaked out of my room into Avalina's. When I entered Avanthe was in there too, and they both looked just as peeved as I felt.

"What do you think they're talking about down there?" Avalina whispered to us as we hid behind the banister.

"I don't know, let's get closer", I suggested

The three of us sneaked right outside of the library door and placed our ears to it.

"Dammit, Avanthe, you're stepping on my toe!" Avalina hissed

"Well, move your damn foot!" Avanthe retorted

"Shut up!" I hissed at the both of them

.

I was thanked by a swift kick to my leg from Avanthe and a punch to the arm from Avalina.

I was about to spring back at them when I heard movement come from inside the library. We gasped and scrambled to get up and dash to the stairs.

"Going somewhere?" Ambrose asked, joined by Ares and Alistair who all had their arms crossed and feet tapping.

"Uh…we were getting something to eat. But we're going back now!" Avalina said. Nice save.

"I see. Well don't let me keep you, and we expect you three to be in your rooms when we're done", Ambrose said with warning in his eyes.

We nodded and fell over each other trying to get into our rooms.

Later that evening, much later, Alistair came into my bedroom and quietly took his place next to my bedside.

"Alistair?" I said in a small voice

"Why are you still awake? You should've been asleep hours ago, is everything alright?" he asked.

"I can't find Jed! I've looked all over for him and he's not anywhere!"

"Ah, that is because I have it", Alistair smirked as he handed Jed to me.

"And why the hell do you have him?" I asked with mild irritation.

Alistair slightly raised an eyebrow;" Language and I have it because I thought you might want it with you at the park, you rarely go anywhere without it."

"Well thanks", I grumbled

"Your welcome, perhaps from now on you'll take better care of it"

"Stop calling him it! His name is Jedediah Morde and I would appreciate it if you addressed him as such!" I snapped.

He chuckled to himself as he opened his damn book," It's clear that you're tired; you're about as friendly as a snapping turtle"

I threw him one last glare before grumbling to myself and falling asleep.


	3. The Intruder

**Hello again! I hope that those of you who have been reading the story like it, and I would absolutely love reveiws if you did. Please note; I like to spend a lot of time developing my own character first but please bare with me, I will introduce the main characters soon! Also, the first few chapters will most likely be silly and lighthearted but it will get darker as the story goes on. Anyway, enough of my chit-chat. ~ON WITH THE STORY! Enjoy!**

**PS/DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN KUROSHITSUJI OR ANY OF THAT CRAP. **

-3rd Person POV-

The following morning, the three girls were woken up by their respective butlers. Avanthe, the earliest riser in the house, had already been dressed and spent the time waiting for the other two by helping Ares with breakfast (while stealing a few extra pieces of bacon for herself of course). When his back was turned, she grabbed two fistfuls and shoved them in her pockets; being careful to quickly walk past him, lest he notice the scent of bacon coming from her. She found herself the best seat at the table while-impatiently- waiting for her sisters.

Avalina, the hardest to wake up in the morning, was currently slumbering away while her tireless butler, Ambrose, began to resort to more drastic measures in waking her up; by lifting the bed to an upwards slant. Avalina slid out of bed unceremoniously and woke with a start and more than a few expletives. Once she had emerged from her morning fog, she walked over to her slightly wilted flower and gave it a boost of life energy. Satisfied that it was healthy again, she dashed downstairs to secure herself the seat right in front of the pancakes.

And Aphelia, the grumpiest riser, was cursing and whining while Alistair dumped her in the tub-where she shouted in indignation- as he poured a cascade of perfumed and soapy water over the irritable child. After a few morning tantrums and biting fits, she made her way to the table last; the farthest away from any of the food.

"Good morning!" Avanthe said cheerily as she snatched the pancake that Aphelia was about to go for.

"Morning", Avalina said with slightly less enthusiasm but albeit with a smile as she took the syrup and butter for her fifth pancake.

Aphelia grumbled as she attempted, for the umpteenth time, to grab a pancake. This action only resulted in getting her hand slapped by Alistair.

"Do not reach across the table like that. If you want something, you ask for it.", he reprimanded.

"Fine", she said shortly," give me that pan-"

"_Politely_", Alistair added,"here"

He took the salt and placed it in front of her. Aphelia gritted her teeth as she stared at it.

"You gave me salt."

"Yes, isn't that what you wanted?" Alistair said plainly, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.

"No. What would I salt? I have no FOOD on my plate!" she snapped as she gripped the sides of her dish and thrust it at him for emphasis.

"Well, maybe you should spend less time whining- which is grating my ears by the way- and more time filling it up." Avanthe stated smugly as she snapped, yet another, a piece of bacon in her mouth.

"Avanthe…" Ares warned.

Aphelia looked at her with a steely glare," Well it's a little hard with you two slunge guts hogging the damn plates!"

"You're just mad because I got here first"

"Yeah well that's because you were sitting here 30 freakin' minutes before breakfast!"

"Don't be jealous, it's not our fault you're slow", Avalina butted in, "ow!" she rubbed lightly at her arm after Ambrose had smacked it.

"Shut up! No one's talkin' to you!", Aphelia shouted as she slammed her fist and leaned over the table, but Alistair immediately grabbed her around the waist, pulled her back, and murmured," Either calm down and conduct yourself as a lady, or go upstairs to your room until you can behave."

With one last glare to her sisters, Aphelia pushed away from the table and stalked off to her room.

Once Aphelia was in her room, she grabbed a notepad and a pencil, plopped down in a chair, and began drawing ugly pictures of Avanthe and Avalina- being sure to write exactly how she felt about them at the moment in the form of little speech bubbles that said crude things. A knock at the door startled her out of her scribble fest. Thinking it was Alistair, she shoved it underneath the chair and said, "Come in".

She was surprised to see Ares walk in instead.

"Hi, sweetie. I know you didn't get anything at the table so I brought you some food", he said as he set it on her tea table.

"Aw thank you", she said as she hugged him around his middle.

He patted her head and went to the door,"Oh, and don't forget, you have lessons with Ambrose in the library in about twenty minutes, alright?"

Aphelia inwardly groaned,"Ok"

Ares smiled and then left.

Doing as Ares reminded, Aphelia made her way down to the library; dragging her feet the whole way. Yuck, if Ambrose was the tutor today that meant that they'd be learning arithmetic and science- the two subjects she hated! Aphelia reached for the door handle and yelped back in pain as an electric shock coursed through her body and zapped her.

"Fuckin' A!" she exclaimed as she tenderly rubbed her finger, now scowling at that accursed handle. After a few seconds of hesitation, she tentavley grabbed the handle and pushed it open to reveal her two sisters and Ambrose waiting for her.

"Ah, Aphelia, there you are! Please take a seat. Now that all three of you are here let's begin."

And so the two and a half hour lecture began, this time with science. First Ambrose pulled out a chart of the human body and, after allowing the few giggles he heard subside, began discussing its functions and inner workings. Avalina looked genuinely interested; scribbling down notes as her bright eyes drank in all the information they could.

Avanthe was paying attention, somewhat, except for the fact that every now and again she'd start doodling in her book little flowers and bunny rabbits with hearts for eyes.

Aphelia, well, she was lying with her head on the desk, gazing blindly out of the window, and slowly dozing off to the point where there was a bit of drool on her desk.

She could hear Ambrose asking each girl something but never bothered to listen in. Until she was called of course.

"Aphelia, what part of the human brain produces serotonin?" he asked. When no answer was forthcoming, he let out a small sigh, walked over to her desk, and slammed a book on her table.

"BAH! Humbledigga-wha?" Aphelia stuttered; scared out of her sleep.

"I asked you, what part of the human brain produces serotonin?" he repeated, with mild irritation.

"Um, I don't rightly know…"

"And why is that?" he asked sharply, though he already knew the answer.

"…I…was sleeping?" Aphelia answered timidly

He gave her a stern glare, "Let this be a warning to the three of you; the next time any of you fall asleep in my class, I guarantee that you will be standing for your other lessons. If I'm in a bad mood, just like I suddenly am in now", he glared back at Aphelia," you will not be sitting for a month. Or using much of your hands for that matter."

At this the girls visibly sat straighter in their seats and Ambrose, now satisfied, moved on to teach them arithmetic.

After his forty-five minute lecture, he gave the girls the rest of the time to work in their arithmetic workbooks. He glanced up from his reading occasionally to ensure that they were indeed working on their own work. Only once did he have to reprimand them.

"Avalina! Keep your eyes on your own paper!" he said to the child, whose wandering eyes widened and quickly snapped back to where they were supposed to be. When he found her looking at Avanthe's paper no less than five minutes later he sighed," Do I need to remind you of what happens to cheaters in my classroom?", she quickly shook her head,"then perhaps it would be best if you continued your work over there", Ambrose pointed to a desk on the opposite side of the room," now".

Avalina gave him a defiant glare, but when his eyebrow shot up dangerously she scrambled to grab all of her items and move to where he suggested.

Aphelia stared blankly at the equations in her book; it was like reading freakin' Chinese! She cast a side-long glance at Avanthe's almost complete paper to try to get some answers.

"Aphelia? Do I need to remind you as well?" Ambrose asked sternly

She promptly shook her head and went back to staring at her blank page.

"Alright girls, please hand in your work." Ambrose announced after thirty minutes. The girls did so, each handing their work to Ambrose in a single file line as they headed for the door, Aphelia being last. She was almost completely out of the library when Ambrose called her back.

"Aphelia? Come back here please…", Silently cursing, she reluctantly trudged back to where he was seated," would you care to explain to me as to why this paper is blank?" he asked as he held up the said paper.

She fidgeted slightly," To be honest, no I wouldn't"

He fixed her with a hard look," Do not play games with me love" he warned," now, tell me why you did nothing in the entire thirty minutes I gave you."

Aphelia kept her eyes downcast and shuffled her foot," I dunno…"

"I believe you do", Ambrose wasn't going to let her get away with a sorry answer like that. Sighing, Aphelia looked up at him and then looked back down at the floor. "I didn't know how to do it", she said quietly

Ambrose raised his eyebrow," Even though I gave you a lesson just moments before?"

"I didn't understand those symbols!" Aphelia protested, tears threatening in the corners of her eyes.

"The division and multiplication signs? Well, if that's all, I'll gladly explain them to you-"

"No, no, - though I will need those explained too-, I didn't know what those other symbols where!"

Perplexed, Ambrose titled his head slightly,"_ Other_ symbols? I don't recall any other symbols love."

"Here", Aphelia opened up a page and pointed to a number," these symbols!"

"Are you toying with me child?" Ambrose asked, his patience wearing thin.

"No", Aphelia seemed genuinely offended as she furrowed her dark brows and pouted slightly. Now realizing that she was serious, Ambrose's initial expression of annoyance transformed into one of genuine concern.

"Aphelia…" Ambrose started in a hushed tone, searching for the right words," are you telling me that, you don't recognize numbers?" he leaned closer to her.

After a few moments of hesitation, Aphelia bit her lip and nodded her head as tears streamed down her soft downcast cheeks.

He placed his hand on her small shoulder reassuringly," It's alright! I'll catch you up and you'll be doing these equations in no time! Why, I bet Alistair would even-"

"No! Please don't tell Alistair!" she pleaded with terrified eyes. Taken, aback by her outburst, Ambrose patted her shoulder to calm her down," A-Alright then, I won't. But you will stay after class for extra tutoring, and you will be doing work out of this". He handed her a workbook that looked like it was made for pre-schoolers.

"Aw, no way! I'm not working out of that damn thing! It's for babies!" Aphelia protested.

"It is not for 'babies', you will control your language- and yes -you _will_ work out of this." He looked her in the eyes," I don't believe I need to tell you of the consequences should you choose not to"

They continued staring each other down until Aphelia averted her eyes. "We will begin with your tutoring now", Ambrose said.

They studied all the way until dinner, where Ambrose promptly ended the session and walked with Aphelia to the dining hall, where Alistair was waiting for her. He and Ambrose exchanged glances-communicating something in the process- before Alistair walked over to Aphelia.

"Ah, there you are my dear, I was worried you weren't going to arrive", he said casually as he held out his arm for her.

Aphelia grumbled inaudibly and looked sullen as she took his arm.

Dinner went by peacefully as all three girls chattered about this and that. Much to the butlers' surprise, there were no arguments or snide comments toward one another. Ares smiled to himself as he cleared the dishes, always glad to see the girls laughing instead of fighting.

"How many sugars would you like in your tea dear?" Alistair asked as he set the tray on the tea table.

Aphelia looked up nervously from her drawings,"…Just…put, um…however many you usually put in."

Alistair nodded and gave her the teacup, "Once you're finished with this I'll get you ready for bed". Aphelia nodded absently and continued coloring, which was odd to Alistair considering she didn't protest. He slowly walked over to the fireplace and began dusting the top of it.

"Aphelia," he said casually," how were your lessons today?"

Aphelia swallowed," Fine, the science was boring so I fell asleep"

Alistair did his best to conceal his disapproval and continued by nodding," Mmm, and how was arithmetic?"

Aphelia accidentally broke a crayon at his question," I-It was alright"

Alistair turned to face her, "Oh?", his eyes wandered to the broken crayon and then back to the nervous child," How do you like it? Is it hard?"

Aphelia didn't like where this conversation was going," I'm done with my tea and," she gave an exaggerated yawn," I'm awfully tired, I think I'm ready for bed now!"

Deciding that it'd be best to get to the point, Alistair strode over to where she was sitting and crouched down next to her as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder," Baby doll, you can't count. Can you?" It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

Aphelia avoided his eyes by looking sideways in the opposite direction. "It's alright if you can't, Ambrose said he can catch you up to Avanthe and Avalina in no time!"

"You must think I'm pretty stupid, huh?" asked Aphelia through a few sniffles.

She was shocked when Alistair suddenly grabbed her chin and forced her to look at his stern face," Aphelia Morde, don't you ever let me hear you say that again, you hear?" he took out a handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes and nose," Not knowing arithmetic is nothing to be ashamed of. Why, there are children in this town that cannot read, and there are some that cannot write." he added comfortingly as his expression softened.

She peered up at him, "…Really?"

Alistair nodded and smiled," Now let's get you to bed"

Avalina's piercing shriek was heard throughout the mansion.

Aphelia made to get out of bed but Alistair promptly sent her back. "Stay here, I'll be back in a moment"

"But I wanna come too!" Aphelia argued, getting out of bed again.

Alistair sent her back to bed again, this time with a stinging swat to her rear," Get back to bed, and do as I say!", he ordered before leaving the room. With Alistair gone, Aphelia jumped at the smallest of sounds and began to feel (or imagine, it was hard to tell which) an unwelcome presence, so she did the only thing she could; she hid underneath her blankets.

Ambrose was already in Avalina's room, slowly rocking her back and forth, when Alistair and Ares arrived.

"What happened?" Ares asked. Ambrose looked down at Avalina, whose small frame was shaking uncontrollably, and decided that she was in no condition to answer questions herself, so he answered them for her.

"Angela was in here a few seconds ago", Ambrose replied, stroking Avalina's hair.

Alistair took note of the broken glass on the floor. He didn't know which made him angrier; the fact that Angela had dared to try and harm one of the girls, or the fact that he'd have to replace the expensive stained-glass in the morning.

"What did she want with Avalina?" Alistair asked

"From what I could gather from Avalina", he looked down at her with concern," Angela had come in here to try and 'purify' her soul. However, I have no clue as to her reasoning behind it"

"I'd better go make sure Avanthe is still alright!" Ares exclaimed suddenly as he bolted from the room.

"Ah, yes, Aphelia will want me back soon as well. Is there anything I can do to ease your worry?" Alistair asked Ambrose.

Ambrose shook his head with a thankful smile," No, I believe she'll be alright, thank you."

Alistair dipped his head in acknowledgement before returning to Aphelia's bedroom.


	4. The Invitation

**Yes! Finally, Ciel and Alois get introduced into the story! Those of you who have been reading along and like it, I thank you! I'm going to ask for at least three reviews before I update again. ~Enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: IS IN THE LAST FEW CHAPTERS!**

I could tell something was wrong by the way Alistair was walking. See, he normally walks with excellent posture and his gait is long and elegant. When he's distressed like this however, his hands are in his pockets and he slumps a little bit; the dead giveaway is his face though.

"Is she alright?" I asked him the second he trudged in.

He nodded," She's fine. Go to sleep". Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that he's a lousy conversationalist when he's like this.

"What was the problem? Why did she scream?" hey I wasn't giving up that quick!

He hesitated for a while, like he didn't want to tell me something, "It was just…a little intruder. That's all"

"Oh, okay then!" I've had an intruder in my bedroom before. I left the window open one day and came back in it to find a big-ass crow in there! Alistair had to come in and beat it with a newspaper to get it to leave, ugh.

"Who the hell is Ciel Phantomhive?" I asked while Alistair was selecting my dress for tonight.

He glanced over his shoulder at me, "He is the heir of the Funtom Toy Company and, much like you, he is the head of the Phantomhive estate. His parents were killed in a tragic fire a few years ago."

I was already gathering images of a playful kid and a mansion full of knick-knacks and wooden trains; like some elaborate toy maker's workshop or something. I couldn't wait to meet this guy!

"How do we know him?"

"Well, Ambrose, Ares and I have done…business…with his butler."

"Ah, so does that mean his butler is 'special' too?" Alistair smiled slyly and nodded, "Do you know who else will be there?"

He stiffened noticeably, "Well, I was informed that the only other guest would be Alois Trancy and his butler."

"And who is he?" I asked with a raised brow.

Alistair turned to me, "Lord child, haven't you paid _any_ attention to the newspapers?"

I shook my head, "Reading the newspaper is for old people"

Alistair's expression of mild irritation was washed away by his exasperated sigh, and in its place was a look of wariness.

"I honestly don't know much about the Trancy child except for the fact that he too is the head of his own estate and has a rivalry with Phantomhive. His butler however, is the one who sold me the book on black magic when I was still human."

"Oh, that's right! Didn't you mess up the words or something?"

He gave me a small glare, "That's the thing, I didn't. The words I spoke were the exact words in the book. Those words ended up opening a portal I didn't mean to open, and it costed me my soul and humanity. And, from what I gather, he's trying to steal Ciel away from Sebastian- that's his butler's name- for himself"

"Oh… he sounds like a right bastard if you ask me", I stated.

"I supposed I could venture and agree. He certainly has malicious intent…" Alistair leaned against the fireplace and seemed lost in his thoughts, but he quickly snapped back and looked at me sharply, "Watch your language! I do hope you'll have enough restraint to control your foul mouth tonight at least." he quipped.

"We'll see", I replied as I grabbed the dress he set out for me and started putting it on.

"Aphelia, you're going to rip it that way! Here, let me help", he took the dress from me (which I was trying to put on like a pair on pants) and properly undid the ties and buttons before helping me get in it.

"Bleh! Why does this collar have to be so high? It's itchy!" I complained as I furiously scratched at my neck while trying to push the collar down.

"That's how it's supposed to be. This look is the height of fashion in Paris, and I'm sure the designer would appreciate it if you stopped trying to mangle his creation," he slapped my hands away, "now stop fussing so I can finish getting you ready."

I let him work in silence for a few moments before speaking, "Hey Alistair? I have a question"

"Mmm?" I guess that was his way of acknowledging me. I looked back slightly to see that he had a hairbrush in his mouth. Ah, that explains his muffled response.

"If Ciel and Alois are rivals, why would Ciel invite him over for dinner? Especially if Alois's butler wants to eat him; that seems awfully silly if you ask me"

He removed the hairbrush from his mouth and answered while furiously styling my hair, "Well, I'm afraid I don't rightly know. When I spoke with Sebastian a few weeks ago, he told me that- hold still- Alois had invited Ciel a few times already to his own estate and-"

"OW!"

"My apologies dear,- perhaps if you didn't fidget so much- as I was saying, Alois had invited Ciel a few times to his own estate for a few events such as a ball and whatnot. Perhaps Ciel's inviting Alois over as a way to keep his enemy close." he finished as he fixed my hat on my head.

"What's the point of doing my hair so elaborately if all your going to do is put a hat on it?", I bitched. Seriously, my head was throbbing from how hard he was pulling at my scalp and I'm almost positive my brain will have no more room to grow as it's already trying to jump out of my skull.

He sighed, and escorted me through the door," A lady must look her best, regardless of what she's wearing. Really, how would it look if you were to remove your lovely hat only to reveal a horrendous bird's nest?"

"A hell of a lot more comfortable…" I mumbled. Judging by the look on his face, I could tell that wasn't the answer he was looking for.

"Well, it's not like my hair was all that bad!" I protested.

"Your hair was in forty different directions dear", he replied

"Just because it's sticking up eight ways to Sunday doesn't mean it looks bad!" I said, bristling. Quite frankly I liked how my hair looked when it was untidy!

"Whatever you say child", he said in an attempt to placate me.

"Humph!" I huffed a we walked out to he carriage.

After about forty-five minutes of travel, we arrived at the stately manor of Phantomhive. Alistair gracefully hopped out of the carriage to help me out, and it's a good thing he was there too! I damn near fell out on account of the stupid boots he forced me to wear! I wanted to go barefoot but Alistair strongly objected.

We were met at the door by Ciel's butler, "Ah, it's a pleasure to meet you Lady Morde", he bowed respectfully," Lord Phantomhive will be with you shortly, in the meantime, please have a seat in the sitting room"

Boy, this guy was just as good-looking as our butlers, and almost taller than Alistair. I wonder if this is the guy Alistair was telling me about, "You're Sebastian right?" I asked.

His crimson eyes blinked at the informal statement for a moment before bowing again, "Yes Madame".

"Well, it's nice to meet ya!" I held out my hand. He hesitated briefly before taking it," No, Madame, the pleasure is all mine".

"You don't have to keep calling me Madame y'know. It makes me feel old, Aphelia is fine."

"I'm afraid to do so would be most unprofessional on my part, and would reflect poorly on Lord Phantomhive. Madame."

I shrugged, this guy was so goddamn formal, "Well suit yourself, but I'm telling you now, I'm only going to respond if you call me by my name. Or Your Highness, Your Godliness, Oh Great One, Your Excellency, or- my personal favorite-, Your Sexi-"

"So, where was the sitting room?" Alistair interrupted as he placed a hand over my mouth. It was all I could do to not bust up laughing at Sebastian's bemused expression.

"Erm, follow me", he straightened up and led us through the entrance hall, a few double doors, and finally into the sitting room. "I shall return shortly with some tea", he stated as he closed the doors and left me to face Alistair, whose furious gaze I was trying to avoid.

"I suppose you think that was funny", he began with a low tone

Well duh, but I wasn't going to say that, I knew a rhetorical question when I heard one. I also knew danger when I saw it. So, I played it safe and kept my mouth shut.

He strode over to me and lifted my chin so I had to look at him, "You will behave yourself tonight. Understood? We are here for an important reason and your shenanigans will not be tolerated."

I nodded, wanting him to be done lecturing me, and folded my arms across my chest.

"Don't you start pouting", he warned

"I'm not!" I replied petulantly

He was about to react when Sebastian came back with a tray of tea and cookies and crap.

"Miss Aphelia, Lord Phantomhive would like to see you in the dining room now". he bowed with a smirk. Ah, so he did remember what I said.

"Very well then, thank you sir", I said with a curtsy. I could see that Alistair knew I was being facetious, so I hurried up and left.

I entered the dining room and found who I presume was Lord Phantomhive, but he was definitely was not what I was expecting. His expressionless face and proper posture had me thinking that this kid wasn't going to be the barrel of laughs I was hoping for.

"Ah, Lady Morde, it's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Ciel Phantomhive.", he said as he took my hand and kissed it.

I suppressed my grimace; "Likewise", I curtsied again.

"Please have a seat dinner should be arriving shortly, as well as our next guest", he sat in a chair on the opposite side of the table.

"So, Lady Morde, tell-"

"Aphelia"

"…I'm sorry?"

"Please, call me Aphelia. 'Lady' is too stuffy for my taste", I said primly as I took a sip of my apple juice. That's when I damn near coughed up a lung!

"Are you alright Lady Morde?" the Phantomhive kid asked.

I sputtered and spat," What is this?"

"It is champagne…" he said with a bewildered expression.

I nodded, cursing myself for not checking what the hell it was before I drank it.

"Would you care for something else?" he asked.

"No, I'm quite fine thank you", I mumbled as I dabbed a napkin to my mouth. See? I have manners!

"If you say so…" he said unsurely. There was a knock at the door and I turned in my seat to see a boy with blonde hair and blue eyes walk in with a butler that reminded me of milk.

"Ah, it's a pleasure to see you again Ciel Phantomhive!" he said airily as he strode over

I noticed Ciel was now standing up, "No, the pleasure is all mine, Alois Trancy"


	5. The Risky Plan

**BLAH! I'm WAAAAY sorry about how freakin' long its been since my last update, it's a little embarassing to be honest... Anyways! I don't want to keep you waiting, so enjoy! :D**

The tension in the room was almost unbearable. Ciel and Alois just stood and glared at each other for what felt like hours, while Sebastian and Alistair (who suddenly appeared behind me) took protective stances behind Ciel and me while looking at Claude with a mixture of amusement and hate. It's a rather scary combination when you're in the middle of its firing range. I wanted to turn and ask Alistair what in the hell was going on, but he placed a hand on my shoulder that kept me from doing so. Bloody hell, any person passing by the scene would think everything was peachy keen and rainbow bubbles, but then again, they couldn't feel Alistair's muscles; tightened and ready to spring into attack if necessary.

"Please, take a seat, my butler has prepared a splendid dinner for tonight." Ciel offered with feigned politeness.

Alois smiled widely and took a seat opposite me,"It would be my pleasure", he shifted his attention to me," and who might this lovely lady be?"

Flattered by his accurate observation, I gave him a coy smile and offered my hand,"Lady Morde, it's a pleasure to meet you"

"Oh no, lovely Madame! The pleasure is all mine", he took my hand and kissed it with his soft lips. I could feel myself blushing, but more importantly, I could feel Alistair bristling. So, I retracted my hand a little quicker than what was altogether polite and was rewarded with an inquisitive look from Alois. Once we took our seats, dinner commenced; and let me tell you, it was rather awkward. We started out with a soup of some sort (that looked a little too much like pee for my taste) that I really didn't want to eat. I sat there playing with it for 'bout 3 minutes before Alistair walked over and whispered a few firm words of…uh…_encouragement _in my ear that had me finishing it faster than you can say 'upchuck'.

We had just finished our dessert (during which Alistair had to remind me to 'slow down and chew it, not inhale it' more than once) when Ciel finally spoke again.

"Now, you may be curious as to why I've called you two here", Ciel began. I looked over at Alois and noted how his clear eyes sparked with interest, oh how dreamy! However, his creep of a butler was watching me in a way that made me feel uncomfortable; like he

wanted to shove a sword up my ass or something.

"Well, I'll get right to it: Angela and Ash are on the loose and they plan to 'purge the world of its evils' beginning with the three most powerful families in England.", Ciel continued.

"Ahh, so by that you mean they wish to come after the three most powerful families who also happen to have powerful, no doubt privileged, children running the estates?", Alois

added.

Ciel nodded in confirmation.

"Does the fact that we all happen to have, 'special' butlers, apply to the situation at all?" I chimed in. Sebastian and, I guess Claude was his name, slightly stiffened at that. Maybe they thought I was calling them retarded or something. But, judging on how far apart Claude's eyes were from each other, I didn't think I was too far off.

Ciel understood what I was implying right away," I believe so. The fact that we all have made contracts with demons makes us the number one target. I have called you both here

to negotiate a pact between the three houses"

"And this pact would consist of…?" Alois said

"Just the point I was getting to. Sebastian, the contract", Ciel took the piece of paper from his butler," Here, read it over for yourselves", Ciel offered as he pushed it towards us.

Alois skimmed through it, and then pushed it to me. I picked it up, scanned it for about

two seconds and- not wanting to read all those damn words- handed it to Alistair.

"Spare me the details and just tell me the good stuff", I ordered lazily as I handed him the paper. He took the parchment and after silently reading for about a minute, he said," The contract states that the three houses are to be joined in a peaceful union in order to band against the Arc-Angels," I waved my hand at him impatiently, wanting him to skip ahead," in accepting this pact, each house agrees to cease all rivalries, share all information that could be vital to our victory, and- this is for the butlers- abandon the prospects of stealing another house's contractee.", he set the paper down as he finished.

I noticed that Alois's butler had left the room and that Alois was shaking furiously.

"So, do you both agree to these terms?" Ciel asked coolly.

"Sure! Why not?" I took the feathered quill and signed my name

"And you Trancy?"

Alois swallowed whatever rage he felt and smiled instead," Certainly"

After that whole affair was done, Ciel took us both into his study to discuss details, during which our butlers where elsewhere. I scarcely paid any attention to what was being said, and my attention was snapped back when I felt someone take hold of my hand. Startled, I snapped my head to see Alois holding it to his lips. Strangely I noticed

that Ciel was gone as well.

"Lady Morde, did I ever tell you that you're more beautiful than an English rose?" he purred. I couldn't help but giggle stupidly; it's not like I'm flattered like that everyday for

god's sakes!

"Well, kinda, but I don't mind if you tell me again!" I giggled and blushed as he kissed my hand. Oh how I was gonna rub this in Avalina's face! She has the biggest crush on this guy, and now I can see why!

"You certainly are charming! We must get together, perhaps our butlers could set a picnic at the park or something of the sort?" he ventured.

I felt my spirits take a dip as I remembered Alistair's distaste for the Trancy kid and his butler, "Oh, I don't think that's possible…what with the way our butlers…you know"

"Stare each other down with death in their eyes?" he added. I nodded solemnly.

"Well, who ever said that our butlers have to know everything?" he smiled disarmingly at me and his eyes sparked the same mischievous flame in mine.

After a moment of thinking it over, a realization clicked in my mind.

"Yes, who said?" I agreed, and smiled back.

"Then what do you say that we sneak out one night- Tuesday- and meet in the abandoned warehouse in the city?"

I grinned in anticipation, "Sounds like a plan!"

A few moments later, Ciel entered back with more papers for us to sign, and then thanked us for our visit. Alois slipped me a piece of paper before we parted our separate ways. I dared not read it until I was alone, which would be a challenge. I approached the carriage before stopping. I heard angered voices whispering to each other, and it seemed to come from around the corner. I peered my head around and saw Alistair had Claude pinned to the wall as he spoke furiously and Claude had this sick, twisted grin on his face. I meant to turn back quietly but in the process stepped on a loud branch. How cliché.

Immediately Alistair released Claude and, after giving him a long, hard, glare, strode over to my side. "I apologize Lady Morde, come, let's return to the manor".

"Okay", I said quietly. To be honest I was a little scared. It's not like Alistair would ever hurt me or anything; God no! It's just, I forget he's a demon sometimes y'know, and I don't realize how bloody scary he actually is until he's seriously provoked!

I looked to see if Alois was still there, but his carriage had already left. I didn't speak until we were about halfway home.

"Alistair? What happened back there between you and Claude?"

He looked at me sharply before averting his gaze, "….Just a little personal business. All you need to know is that Claude and Alois are not to be trusted." he finished quietly.

I swallowed my guilt and put my hand in my coat pocket, where I placed the note Alois left me. Right now it felt like it was radiating off my intentions.

Shortly after the carriage pulled up to the manor and eagerly I raced up the path into the house and nearly started up the stairs.

"Ah, ah, ah! Your coat please!" Alistair called after me.

I stopped and slowly walked to him and shrugged off my coat. The second it was off my shoulders I darted upstairs to gloat in Avalina's face.

"Shut up! No way!" she punched my arm in amazement.

"Hell yes! And he wants me to meet him Tuesday night"

"Well, how the hell are you going to get past Alistair?" Avanthe asked.

"Uh, I haven't gotten that far yet", I said sheepishly.

They exchanged glances with each other, then looked at me," Maybe we could get our butlers to take us out on Tuesday to the movie house or something and you could somehow slip out during the movie and be back in time before it ends. They'd never know!" Avanthe suggested.

"You just need to make sure you spread something on your seal so Alistair can't track you", Avalina added. I took all of this sage advice to mind and began processing the details. I jumped guiltily as Alistair poked his head in.

"Ok girls, it's time for bed", he smiled," Aphelia, go wait by the bath, I'll be there momentarily."

I did as he asked, taking the opportunity to read Alois's note:

"_Meet me at the abandoned warehouse near Phantomhive's toy shop around 7:30 pm. Remember, Tuesday is the day of adventures!"_

A knock on the door made me jump again. I had just enough time to hurriedly shove the note in my mouth before Alistair walked in. He gave me a funny look.

"Are you alright?" he asked. I nodded. "Well, then I suppose we should get you started".

He did the usual, and tedious, routine of undressing me and then dumping my ass in the tub. Perhaps he did do it with more grace than I give him credit for, but I prefer to describe things how I see 'em!

The bath would have been soothing after the eventful day, except for the fact that the note I had jammed in my mouth was getting soggy and breaking into tiny bits. Not to mention that Alistair's rhythmic scrubbing kept pushing the mush in my mouth back and forth; threatening to make me gag. By the time he had me wrapped in a towel and was drying my hair, the mush multiplied into a liquid chunky consistency. He looked at me funny again as he buttoned up my nightgown,

"Aphelia, are you sure your feeling well?"

Of course! Why didn't I think of that earlier? I suddenly slouched a little more, clutched my stomach, and shook my head.

He knitted his brows and began feeling my forehead and rubbing my shoulders. I fell to my knees and groaned for good measure. "Baby, are you gonna-?" I heaved dramatically,"I take that as a yes!" he said quickly as he rushed me to the sink where I "threw up" the note while making barfing sounds.

"Aphelia honey, what on God's green Earth?"

"HUUUAAGGHH!" he rubbed my back soothingly.

"That doesn't look like anything you ate at dinner tonight…"

"BLEERGGGHAGGGURFF!" Okay, maybe I was being a little excessive, but I wanted to make it as realistic as possible. I made sure that I spit the mushed up note near the drain so it washed away but apparently I have shitty aim because it landed as a big glob near the front of the sink bowl. I panted heavily as if I were trying to regain my breath as Alistair rinsed what he could down. He suddenly paused.

"What a minute, is this….?" my heart stopped beating and I froze.

That is until he spun me so that I was facing his leg and began swatting my backside," How many times do I have to tell you? DON'T. EAT. THE. TOILET PAPER!"

He punctuated each of those last ones with harder swats.

"Ah! Ow! Ow! Dammit! Ouch! AH! OW! OKAY! OKAY! I'M SORRY! I'LL NEVER EAT TOILET PAPER AGA-HA-HAAAN!",I sobbed. Embarrassingly enough, I usually keep some under my bed. It's like eating a marshmallow! A flat, papery, flavorless, marshmallow. My tears were genuine and at least he didn't find out about the note, but shit, who knew he cared so much about toilet paper?

He stopped, wiped my eyes and nose with his handkerchief, and wrapped me up in his arms while rubbing my back," Shhh, stop that crying now…" Psh! Easier said than done asshole," It's no wonder you got sick. I don't know where you get off eating stuff like that, but I suppose that's why you've grown on me. Your so…"

"I'm so what? Cute?"

He grinned and shook his head," Nooo…"

"Adorable?"

"Uh-Uh"

"Silly?"

"Well I'd use another word…"

"Loveable?"

"Nope, cockamamie!" he said as he tickled me into hysterical fits of laughter. When I was sure I would die from lack of oxygen he eventually stopped and began to absently stroke my hair as we sat quietly for a while. He had moved us to his chair by my bed and was holding me in his lap, so the only sound was the crackling of the fireplace.

I was fiddling with the buttons on his shirt and buried my head in his mane of red hair. I liked the way he smelled; like earthy autumn woods with a hint of burning cinnamon. It always made me tired and foggy but I insisted on staying awake. So, I decided on talking.

"Allie, do you love me? And I mean seriously, don't say you do if you don't mean it!" I added sternly.

"Of course I do, if I didn't, I wouldn't have put up with you for this long, would I?" he said warmly.

"No…I suppose not." I paused and continued playing with his buttons," Would you die for me?"

His fingers stilled for a moment before tangling themselves in my hair again," Yes, but I would hope I'd be able to destroy whatever's harming you first."

I pondered on what he had said before asking another question," What if…what if I were to do something that _might_ put me in harm's way, and knew from the beginning that I shouldn't do it, but did it anyways! What would you do then?"

He ceased all movement and I actually had to peer up at him to see that he was still alive.

"I'd kill you…" was his stony answer. Shivers went up my spine as I sought refuge in his hair again.

"Why are you asking these questions? Is something the matter baby doll?" his body seemed to warm up again as he stroked my cheek.

"No…just wondering." To be honest, I was starting to feel guilty about this whole plan to meet up with Alois, but I was just so damn curious.

"Hey Allie?"

"Hmmm?"

"Just so you know, I love you too", I could feel his smile as he held me tighter. I just sure hoped to hell he'd be this forgiving if for some reason my plan falls through…

**Cliffhanger...! Will Aphelia go through with her plan? Will Alistair find out? What are Alois's intentions? And what REALLY was in that soup? Find out next time! I'll totally update WAY sooner! See you on the next wave my friends! :D**


	6. A Difficult Morning: Ares

**Hello again! I'm here with another chapter and, be warned, : THIS CHAPTER HAS A SPANKING SCENE IN IT! :I**

**So, if your not cool with that type of thing, just go ahead and skim ahead. You can pretty much see it coming! XD (Oh and don't worry, it's not sexual!)**

**This shit was 13 pages in Word, so I hope its nice and looooong!**

**~Enjoy! :D**

-Ares' POV-

The gentle rays of the morning sun slowly began to peek out from among the forestry that surrounded the manor. Being in the kitchen, I had the best view and- to say the least- it was breathtaking. However, my focus was drawn to the little bunny rabbits hopping about in the garden. Ambrose would pop a vein if he witnessed them gnawing on his precious gardenias, but I for one adore their little tails and their innocent obliviousness to the world outside of their immediate view. It's amazing what humans take for granted in this realm.

I give a contented sigh and begin wiping down the counters. I refuse to stop cleaning them until I can see reflections of the suns rays bouncing off the surface. You may call me particular, but I find even the most miniscule of smudges upon a cooking surface repulsive. Once the counter is to my satisfaction, I ready the pots and pans for breakfast, when moments later Alistair strolls in.

"Ares, I need to travel to town and I'll be gone until about dinner. Do you think you can handle Aphelia for a few hours?" he asked me.

"Certainly", I dip my head in acknowledgement before turning back to the stove.

"Alright, please let me know if she causes any trouble", he said before he shrugged on his coat and walked out of the door.

Trouble? The child was a doll as far as I was concerned! Shaking the silly notion from my head, I saw him out the door and continued to start the eggs. I suppose in this current day and age, the tasks I do around the house would be considered "woman's work". Absolute nonsense in my opinion. Granted, it has been said that I have more of a matronly demeanor than most men, but I see no issue with that.

"Hey, Ares?" I nearly jump out of my skin! I quickly regain my composure and turn to face Ambrose, "I need to head over to town, it appears that I've run out of bait traps and the rabbits have been at my gardenias again. Mind keeping watch over Avalina for a bit?"

"It would be my pleasure"

"Thanks, I'll try to be gone for only 4 hours!" he said before he too dashed out the door.

Hmmm, it shouldn't be a problem for a demon to handle three little girls for a few hours. Why, by the time breakfast is done they sh- Oh! I nearly forgot about the eggs! I quickly place them on three plates before setting them on the table. Now, where was I? Oh! Right, by the time breakfast is over they should be ready to spend the day outside and by that time, Ambrose should be back. Let's see, what time is it? Ah, time for breakfast!

I walk over to the bell by the door and ring it three times. It runs through their rooms, -believe me-, if it wasn't, breakfast would be frosted over by the time they had the sense to check and see if it was ready.

Right on time, the three girls come racing down the staircase; sending a stampede-like tremble throughout the house's structure.

"Hey! I was gonna sit there!" Aphelia shouted at Avalina

"Well too bad! Sit on the floor or sit somewhere else!"

"Or how about I force your fat ass out of my seat?"

"Go ahead and try"

"Fine!", and here I watched, ladies and gentleman, the most pathetic attempt to force somebody out of a chair. Aphelia, the smallest of the trio, used all her strength to try and tip Avalina (who cleverly had her feet hooked to the legs of the table) over, but in reality, all she had managed to do was to work herself up into a heavy pant and to create a little bit of morning entertainment for everyone without moving Avalina, or the chair for that matter, a millimeter. I decided to intervene before she hurt herself.

"Aphelia, sweetheart, why don't you sit over here by Avanthe?" I offered gently. She gave the seat I was referring to a disdainful look.

"I want to sit _here_ though. Make Avalina _move_!" she ordered with a stamp of her foot. Uh-oh, I could sense a meltdown coming on, and that is the last thing I want to deal with. Ever.

"Well dear, she got there fair and squa-"

"No she didn't! She pushed me out of the way!"

I took a deep breath and made another attempt to diffuse Mount Aphelia, "Aphelia, I'll have to ask you not to raise your voice. Now, you may either sit in another available seat or I'll allow you to sit in the kitchen."

She looked at me for a time while she was processing her options. To my surprise, she gave a quick, yet scornful, glance at Avalina and walked to the chair next to Avanthe. She did it rather sulkily, mind you, but it was as graceful of an amendment as to be expected from her in the morning. She proceeded to surprise me further by sitting up straight, folding her hands primly on the table, and asking for salt.

"Please pass the sodium, dearest Avanthe." she said. I tried not to smirk at the awkward glance Avanthe gave to her.

"Eh, here you go…"

"_Thank_ you!" she salted her eggs and ate peacefully. When I felt it was safe to leave them be for a bit, I returned to the kitchen and started cleaning. Unfortunately, I just couldn't rid myself of the uneasy feeling I had in my gut. I've heard no signs of upset from the girls yet, so all was well. For now.

"Ares! I'm finished! May I please be excused?" Avalina shouted. Great, so now _she_ suddenly decided to have manners as well? I poked my head through the doorway.

"Show me your plate", I told her. She walked over and presented the said plate to me. After deciding that she ate a satisfactory amount, I excused her.

"May I play with the card deck?" Avalina blurted. I wasn't expecting that question.

"I don't see why not", I noticed Aphelia's sour expression, which confused me to no end.

"Ares, may I too be excused?" she asked suddenly. I nodded, hesitantly. I watched as they both raced each other upstairs with set expressions of determination on their faces.

Well, that was easier than expected! I shifted my attention to Avanthe, who was now finishing up her third plate. It's amazing how much she puts away, and yet, she's as slender as a rail!

"Here you go!" she handed her plate to me and walked upstairs. I raised an eyebrow at this morning's events; it was all so…mild. Too mild if you ask me, but if the rest of the day goes as smoothly, I'll not complain. I took the dirty dishes into the kitchen and started washing them. Glancing at the clock, I noticed that and hour and a half had passed already. Well! I may just survive today after all!

*CRASH!*

Oh dear.

With an aggrieved sigh, I set the half-cleaned dishes in the sink and hurried upstairs. Once I reached the door to the playroom I could hear the unmistaken shouts of fighting little girls. I opened the door and froze in astonishment at the sight before me.

"OW! Get her off! GET HER OFF!" Avalina screamed as she waved her left arm desperately- to which Aphelia had attached herself with by her teeth- and pulled Aphelia's hair with her right hand. Avanthe was standing a safe distance away, unsure of what to do. At any other time, this scene would have been comical. Now, however, I was anything but happy.

"Girls!" I shouted

"Don't just stand there Avanthe! Hit her with a pillow or something!"

"B-but your blee-"

"DO I LOOK LIKE I CARE! Get. Her. OFF!"

"_Girls!_" I tried again.

"She's like attached! She won't come off!"

"_Make_ her get off then!"

"Grrrrrr", that was Aphelia.

I could feel a vein in my forehead pulsing. This was getting out of control, and I figured it was time to use my "mobster voice" as Avanthe puts it.

"GIRLS!" at the sudden boom of my call, all the girls ceased movement and froze in place. Aphelia let Avalina's arm fall out of her mouth, rather ungracefully, without taking her eyes off of me. I placed my hands on my hips and gave them each a stern glare.

"Now, would anyone like to tell me what just happened?"

They gave each other sideways glances; gauging to see who would rat them out first. I was losing my patience with this silly game after about 5 minutes of silence. I decided to play dirty.

"Very well then. If you girls want to play it like that, I'll have no qualms withholding sweets from you for a few weeks", I said with a grin threatening at the corners of my mouth. They're eyes grew to the size of saucers and the expressions they held varied from shocked (Avalina), heartbroken (Aphelia), and sickened (Avanthe).

"Aphelia started it!" Avalina shouted

"No I didn't!"

"Yes you did, you pinched me!"

"I wouldn't have if you just didn't cheat, you bloody badger!" another shilling for the swear jar, I thought to myself.

"I wasn't cheating! Huh, Avanthe? C'mon, back me up on this!" Avalina said, practically staring into her soul.

"No! Don't back her up! She's a liar and a cheat!"

"You take that back!"

Aphelia gazed smugly at Avalina,"_Make_ me"

Time stilled for a few moments before Avalina walked over to Aphelia's doll, and took hold of the top of his head.

"Hey, hey watch doin'?" Aphelia asked; visibly distressed.

Avalina said nothing as she slowly twisted its head back and forth, a sadistic smile spreading across her face as she worked Aphelia into a frenzy.

"Y-you put Jed down right this minute!"

"Are you sorry?" Avalina asked.

"Hell no!"

Avalina raised her eyebrows and looked into Aphelia's eyes as she slowly twisted the doll's head until it finally came off with a satisfying "_pop!_" Aphelia's eyes grew ever wider as she processed what happened. Then she blew up.

"Y-y-y-y-you….You CRAZY BITCH!" she screamed before tackling her.

Once again, the room filled with shouts and curses as they wrestled each other to the ground and rolled around on the floor.

"ENOUGH!" I grabbed both girls and placed them in opposite corners of the room, then added threateningly, "don't move."

I then took Avanthe out of the room so I could question her. I asked her about the fight and what seemed to have started it.

"Well, I wasn't paying attention until I heard the cards fly. That's when I looked over and saw them fighting on the floor…" she told me," I think Avalina might have said something, but I didn't hear what it was."

I sighed and gave her permission to play elsewhere. Going back into the room, I saw that the other two little hellions had obeyed and remained in the same corners I left them in.

"Okay girls, come out of your corners and- Aphelia! Stop picking at that wallpaper!" I raised my voice to her.

I noticed that she hastily tried covering up whatever it was she etched into the beautiful, harmless, wall. I strolled over, gently removed her hands (which were fruitlessly trying to conceal it), and peered at it myself.

I once again felt my patience wither away when I saw that she had carved what appeared to be a poorly drawn picture of Avalina (who had loutish words describing her character) with deplorable dental health and multiple skin impurities; not to mention the added details of unkempt toenails and thick eyebrows. My tired eyes slid back down to the wayward girl and forced a gentle tone as I spoke.

"Would you care to explain this…drawing?"

"Uh…" her eyes studied her masterpiece, lingering on the curse words, and then wandered back to mine, "…no."

"What if I told you that_ I_ would like you to explain it to me?"

She processed this for a split second before answering," I would tell you that I'm awfully sorry, but I'll have to politely decline."

Cheeky!

"And why is that?" I questioned

"Because the portrait you are looking at now is a criminal sketch sent directly from the Scotland Yard of a deranged criminal who goes by the following names", here she had the gall to gesture towards the crude words, "who will stop at nothing- not even lying- to escape persecution. I politely decline because I've neither the desire nor authorization to divulge further information." she finished with a deadpan face.

Often times, one never knows what to expect from this little one's mouth. It's quite entertaining to listen to her try to explain to Alistair why she doesn't deserve whatever punishment she invited her way, but now that I'm in his place, I have no idea how he remains sane! Whatever small amount of patience I had remaining dissipated instantly.

"Right then, that's quite enough out of you!" I took a firm hold of her shoulders and turned her towards Avalina, "apologize now!"

"How the hell am I supposed to apologize when she has that scummy smile on her face?" Aphelia retorted.

"Avalina, wipe that look off of your face this instant!" I reprimanded. Honestly, who knew it would be this difficult to sort out a few children? Avalina quickly obeyed and focused all of her attention on Aphelia. When my ears were met with silence for more than ten seconds, I looked down at Aphelia and slightly tightened my grip on her shoulders, "Isn't there something you'd like to say to her Aphelia?"

"Oh there's plenty I'd like to say! The only problem is, if I say 'em, I'll more than likely get my mouth soaped out!"

"And a smacked bum if you keep on like this, now, please apologize to Avalina for your fight and the drawing you just made", I prompted

"The only way I'm gonna apologize to_ her, _is if she apologizes to me first!"

I sighed for the umpteenth time today, "Fine then, Avalina, would you like to show an example to Aphelia by apologizing?"

"Sure," she shrugged nonchalantly and then in a sweet voice said," Aphelia I'm sorry I broke your doll and I'm sorry you lost your temper and attacked me in a blind rage. Whatever I said to trigger your outburst wasn't intended to upset you in anyway. Do you forgive me?"

"Do I shit out gumballs?" was the snarky response. I cleared my throat meaningfully and gave her a look that spoke volumes.

"Aw c'mon! You don't seriously believe she_ meant_ it?"

"I believe it wholeheartedly"

She looked at me in disbelief, "Then you're stupid! She's a boldfaced liar if I've ever seen one! Every word that comes out of her skuzzy mouth is intended to shred me to the core!" she finished dramatically. I didn't overlook the 'stupid' remark, heavens no; I simply decided to tack that little indiscretion to her punishment later.

"She apologized to you, and whether or not she meant it is on her conscience. I expect you to follow her example and do the same."

"But-"

"Now", I said firmly

She huffed and turned to Avalina, "I'm sorry I…. 'attacked' you and kicked your ass. Even though you deserved it."

"A-_hem_", I cleared my throat again.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! She did _not_ kick my ass!" Avalina shouted

I held up my hand to silence her, "There is no need for comments Avalina; Aphelia, please try that again. And do it properly."

She gave me a dirty look but did as she was told, "I'm sorry Avalina for fighting with you and ruining your deck of cards. It wasn't nice and stuff. Forgive me", I was about to nod in approval when she grumbled, "….you greasy git."

That did it. I swooped down, picked Aphelia up, and carried her over to an empty chair where I neatly tossed her over my knee.

"Oi! What the hell do you think your doing?" she squawked. I answered her by delivering a sharp swat to her upended backside.

"OW!"

I followed the first with a series of heavy falling swats; each the same intensity as the last. Surprisingly enough, with each smack I landed the less irritated I felt- but please- do not believe that I used my full strength! Heavens no! I used just enough to get her attention and to curb her irritability. Without faltering in my steady rhythm, I decided to speak with the naughty child.

"Now then, do I have your attention lamb?" she didn't answer but instead decided to stubbornly try to resist me by flailing and squirming out of my grasp. In the process, she managed to bite my leg quite hard.

I smacked her bottom a little more aggressively with one hand as I restrained both of her skinny wrists in my other and pinned her legs down under my left leg.

"Lemme gooooo!" she hollered.

I ignored her and smacked her harder and faster still. She was using all of her willpower not to cry, but unfortunately for her, I was determined to break her down. There was no getting through to her until then. I didn't have to wait long though, for after a few moments of thwacking the bottom in my lap, I heard her sniffling.

"P-please Ares! O-OW! Alistair will be m-m-MAD!"

I scoffed, "I highly doubt that. Now, let's address your most recent behavior shall we? When I told you to apologize to Avalina, you chose to be cheeky. Why was that?"

"B-because…s-s-she…dinna…_deserve_…a…'pology!"

"I beg to differ! After all that sass and the drawing you made on the wall- which will have to be repapered," I delivered two extra sharp swats here," she more than deserved one! Wouldn't you agree?"

"Uhhhhh-"she swallowed hard, "m-maybe…."

I smacked her sharply

"I-I mean YES! YES SHE DESERVED O-ONE!"

"Very good! Now you know that you have one apology to make to her but you also have one to make to me. Right?"

"Uh-huh! B-but I d-!"

"Hush. When Alistair, Ambrose, and I tell you to do something, you do it! It's not for you to decide, is that clear?", when no response was forthcoming I began a volley of faster swats and asked again gruffly, "I _said_…Is. That. _Clear_?"

"AHHHHH!" I continued swatting her soundly, " CLEAR! C-C-CRYSTAL! I'm sorry! I-I'M SORRY!"

"I should think so!" I let all of my disapproval seep into my voice. I inwardly sighed; sometimes it's like they don't take me seriously. I continued smacking her; making it a point to tip her a little further over my knee and swat the sit-spots there.

"OW! OW! OWIE! OW! AHHHH-HA-HA-HA-HAAAAA!"

"Sometimes lamb, you let your mouth overrun your sense and it lands you into trouble more often than you'd care. You need to learn that sometimes it's best to leave certain things unsaid, and sometimes it's better to say nothing at all. Understand?"

Of course I wasn't entirely surprised when she didn't answer me.

"Now is not one of those times however!" I spanked her harder for her cheekiness. It never seemed to end! She could be stranded in the middle of an arid desert; mere moments from dying of starvation, yet still have the impertinence to throw whoever comes her way a sarcastic comment or two.

"AH! Y-yes sir!" she cried

"Very well then, do you think you can behave now?" I slowed down my smacks and lightened their force; not that she'd really notice, her bum was practically glowing red!

"Uh-uh-huh!" she nodded vigorously

I stopped smacking her and began gently rubbing her back instead," Good. I will give you a chance to redeem yourself later, but first I think you ought to reflect on your actions", I lifted her off of my lap and pointed her in the direction of yet another corner, to which she looked at me despairingly," you may come out of the corner once I believe you've thoroughly thought over your misdeeds. Now go." I helped her along by giving her a quick swat. She yelped and scurried over to the designated corner.

Now that Aphelia was subdued, I turned back to Avalina who was giggling hysterically to herself.

"Avalina! I suggest you stop that laughing unless you want the same for yourself!" I wagged my finger at her.

She promptly cleared her throat and shook her head," Ah, no thanks!"

"Alright then, you may go play with Avanthe if you wish", she nodded and headed out. Once she left, I looked around the room and noticed for the first time, that it was in shambles! I tutted and rolled my sleeves up; cleaning up this room was going to be a tad of a challenge.

As soon as I had it looking better than it was before, I let a still sniffling Aphelia out of the corner.

"Alright little one, your free to go play now", I told her gently. She turned and gazed at me forlornly; eyes still watery as she rubbed out the sting in her bottom.

"That really hurt", she pouted

I chuckled, "Well, it's supposed to! Now run along, I'm nearly two minutes late in starting lunch!"

There is nothing I despise more than tardiness! Regardless of task or location, it is always in good taste to show promptness, and as of right now, I was falling into my own pet peeve! I followed Aphelia out, and saw to it that she got on well with the other two girls. Reassured, I made my way into the kitchen and got an excellent start on lunch.

Since it was in the middle of summer, Ambrose's garden was at it's peak; fresh tomatoes, crisp lettuce, and flavorful herbs were all at my disposal. The girls were outside playing a game of tag or some such, so I doubted they'd want to sit down to a heavy meal just yet. So, I decided that sandwiches would be just fine. Let's see…Avanthe likes everything except the dressing,…Aphelia likes ham-not turkey- and prefers wheat, not rye…and Avalina prefers her tomatoes on the side. There, all done!

I had just finished setting the sandwiches aside when I heard bickering.

"What the hell? You can't claim invisibility!", Avanthe's outraged voice shouted.

"Uh, yes I can!", Aphelia argued back.

"The ball hit you! Now quit being a poor sport and sit out!", Avalina intervened

"That may be, but I quite clearly claimed invisibility, therefore the ball went through me!"

"That doesn't even exist in this damn game!", Avanthe shouted back

"Ignore her! C'mon Avanthe, let's keep playing", I looked up just in time to see Avalina and Avanthe walk away to continue their game, and Aphelia flipping them a rude hand gesture. I have to admit, I wasn't terribly shocked but taken aback nonetheless.

"I saw that Aphelia!", I said through the open window, "you get in here right this minute!"

Her shoulders sagged as she trudged up the steps into the kitchen, were she shuffled her feet under my disapproving gaze.

"I witnessed the whole exchange, so there's no need to try and talk your way out of this one", I warned when she started to open her mouth to speak," now, I want you to go stand in that corner so I can keep an eye on you!"

"Aw! That's not fair! It seems like I'm always spending my time in one corner or another!", she whined.

"And who's fault is that?", I asked her as I started chopping potatoes.

"That's neither here nor there! When I'm old and have children, the only stories I shall ever be able to tell them will be about the many different wall coverings I've seen! And then I shall be disowned, because my grandchildren will be bored and nobody wants a grandma with boring stories!"

I allowed a few chuckles at her logic but quickly turned stern again," Now you hush and face that corner, I'm not best pleased with you today."

"Hmph! _I'm_ not best pleased however…," she grumbled as she faced the wall.

I chose to ignore her and continued on to set the table. That's when I heard more shouting, but this time it was gleeful. I peered through the window to see Ambrose being tackled by two little girls. Ah, so he's home again! I have to admit, with him leaving for such a long period and then coming back later on in the day, I really did feel like a house-wife. And I must say, Ambrose would make a most attractive husband…..

Ah! I mustn't daydream so openly! I could see Aphelia peering at me strangely from over her shoulder. I was just about to scold her when Ambrose came in.

"Hello Ares! I'm back from the store as you can see. Thanks for watching Avalina while I was gone. She behaved herself I hope?" Ambrose asked.

Aphelia was about to say something but I had already answered," Yes, she's been an angel all day!" I could feel my cheeks heating up as our eyes locked onto each other; his smile promised much to look forward to this evening after the girls were in bed. He broke our connection however when he looked over at Aphelia.

"Ah, in trouble are we?" he said in a serious tone.

She slowly turned her head and gave him a look," Yes. I'm in trouble _again,…._unjustly so…."

He snorted but otherwise said nothing more as he tipped his head and headed for the garden. Five minutes later I turned Aphelia loose and gave her permission to play outside.

"I think I'd rather stay in here, thank you very kindly all the same.", she said firmly. I was surprised but allowed it. Since she wanted t stay in the kitchen, I gave her a few tasks to help me out, like setting the table. She did quite a good job at it too! Though I had to go back and fix it since she gave everyone except Avalina silverware. After that was done, I gave her a bowl of tomatoes to pick off the vine, which she did so enthusiastically! It was precious! I even pretended not to notice when she nicked a few and popped them in her mouth…..

Ten minutes later I heard more gleeful shouting outside, which signaled Alistair's return, and moments after that the front door opened. Aphelia abruptly jumped down from her perch on the stool and raced to Alistair. I heard her crow with delight and saw her clinging on his back like a spider-monkey when Alistair strolled in.

"Hello Ares! You had quite a busy day I hear! I feel right awful, I never would have left if I knew Ambrose would've been gone as well!", Alistair apologized.

"Think nothing of it man! The girls behaved like little cherubs all day!", I lied with my signature smile.

Alistair raised an eyebrow as he looked at me, clearly not believing a word I've said," _All _the girls behaved the _whole_ day? Even Aphelia?"

Oh, if you could only know…

Aphelia's expression quickly changed from contented to scared with this sudden topic of discussion. She looked at me with pleading eyes and seemed noticeably paler. I would by no means allow her to get away with all of her indiscretions…..

"Yes! Now, I may have had to correct her once or twice, but she behaved extraordinarily well for the most part!", I said.

"Oh? What did she do that needed correcting?", his demeanor became serious and I began to see why Aphelia feared his wrath! Perhaps, she had been punished enough for today. I doubt she can handle another encounter over anyone's knee, let alone Alistair's!

"Aside from her usual colorful method of playing with her sisters, nothing at all!"

"Ah, alright then!", he said as he fell back into his cheerful self. Aphelia regained her color and tilted her head to the side.

"Gee Allie, you sure smell pretty! Almost like a lady or something!" she suddenly exclaimed. I noticed Alistair's faint blush as he set Aphelia on her feet," Never mind that! Go along and play now…. saucy little thing!" he sent her off with a playful swat. He didn't seem to notice her cringe more than usual, but I smiled to myself when I did.

The rest of the afternoon and evening went along smoothly; the girls were brought in once it grew dark and I called them to the table for dinner where they sat and ate peacefully. Well, for the most part.

Ambrose had to settle them down a few times but for nothing more than noise level. We butlers stood off to the side and talked when the sudden clash and clanking of dishes caught our attention.

"I hate you…that's IT! I _HATE_ YOU AVALINA!" Aphelia screamed, and then ran upstairs sobbing. Alistair exchanged looks with us before running up after her.

Ambrose walked over to Avalina and crouched down next to her seat and talked to her for a time. My poor Avanthe looked out of sorts, so I beckoned her over to me and led her into the study where we could talk in quiet surroundings.

I bent down to her level and stroked her hair back," It's tiring when it seems like you're the only level-headed one around here, isn't it?"

She nodded solemnly before resting her head against mine. She smelled so sweet; like a fresh spring day, only much purer. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm even related!" she said crossly.

I chuckled and held her closer," Yes, sometimes I wonder that myself. But you know your sisters love you, even when it seems like the world is crashing down and everyone's lost they're sanity, they'll love you and your strength. You're their rock, right?"

"Mmm-hmm", she mused," it's just, sometimes it'd be nice if I could be immature like them once in a while", she said softly.

This nearly broke my heart!

"But you can can't you? Why, you can play and laugh just like them! Personally, I think it's because you're not quite sure how to yet. Those few years when it was just the three of you against the world, you took it upon yourself to be the wall between the world and your sisters. And even though you don't have to do that anymore, it's still in your instincts. But don't worry, sooner than you think, you'll be getting into trouble just like those other two, and perhaps more often!", I teased.

She laughed but I could see that she had tears in the corners of her eyes. This disturbed me, and I quickly wiped them away so I wouldn't have to look at them any longer.

"What's the matter love?" I asked softly

She shook her head but didn't speak. I didn't press her any further and let her lean on me instead. It's been far too long since she's had anybody but her sisters to cry on, and I silently cursed their parents. I was about to speak to her when I noticed her steady breathing; she had fallen asleep! I smiled to myself and carried her upstairs to bed.

After all of the girls had been put to bed, the three of us met in the library to discuss this evening's drama. I was most curious since my charge had no part in it; I missed out on some vital information!

"What seemed to be the problem?" I questioned.

Ambrose gave a tired sigh," Avalina seemed to have been taunting Aphelia about her fear of ghosts all day"

"Yes, apparently it started before breakfast this morning when Avalina bet Aphelia that she couldn't go a whole day without nervously looking at a mirror", I quirked an eyebrow since I couldn't see the relation between ghosts and mirrors, but Alistair kept talking," that's when Avalina took Aphelia's usual seat-which faces away from the mirror in the dining room- and began her teasing from there."

Ambrose nodded," Then she used the cards to play a game of 'B.S', where if Avalina won, Aphelia would have to give her doll to her for the night."

"And she simply cannot sleep without it!" Alistair said

"Right, but Aphelia was winning so I guess Avalina cheated in order to win. Then they ended up fighting, and Aphelia ended up with a headless doll."

I began to feel absolutely horrible. All day today I had wanted to throttle the child, and even got to the point where I smacked her a bit! I never even suspected that Avalina would have been provoking her!

"And then at dinner I guess she said something along the lines of 'that ghost lady is gonna come for you tonight' or something like that", Ambrose finished.

"But why would Avalina do such a thing?" I asked

"I don't believe she realized how serious Aphelia takes ghosts and simply saw it as a fun bit of heckling." Alistair answered.

"And though she took it a bit far, I should think that Aphelia wouldn't be so sensitive", Ambrose mused and looked to Alistair questioningly. This perked my interest and I too looked to him.

His eyes went back and forth between us before he sighed and sat in an armchair," Make yourselves comfortable. If you would like to know why she's so afraid of ghosts, I'll need to start from the beginning. Believe me, there are many ugly parts that not even her sisters know about, so you may want to sit down"

* * *

**Dun! Dun! Dun! *CLIFFHANGER* :D **

**I love you guys so PLEASE REVIEW and tell me whats on your mind, k? Until next time, bye bye from the Morde Manor! 3**


	7. Alistair's Story

***Nervously enters room* H-hey guys and gals, guess what? I'm back with a fresh chapter, YAY!**

**So, I apologize for the lateness and blah blah blah. Chances are, it'll happen again. Boo. _O**

**Also, I'd like to address some of the confusion many of you are experiencing (*note: These are highly paraphrased):**

**Problem #1: "Why the hell are there so many A's?"**

**Answer: Well, at the time when the characters were created, my friends and I got the *genius* idea that it would have a neat symbolic message. ****The fact that they all start with 'A's' would symbolize their bonds with one another. It has become quite the pain in ass for me and you guys, and I apologize, but seeing as I only own two of the six "A" characters, there is little I can do, and I'm afraid changing their names this far into the story would create more confusion. T_T**

**Problem #2: "So, who belongs to what butler?"**

**Answer: Alistair/ Aphelia**

** Ambrose/ Avalina**

** Ares/ Avanthe**

**Hopefully that cleared a few things up for you folks out there. Now, on with the story!**

***Disclaimer* I do not own Kuroshitsuji or it's characters. However, I do own Alistair and Aphelia. Now, ready to Tanqueray?**

**~ Enjoy! :D**

* * *

"I'm warning you now, some parts will disturb you to the very core. I'll not spare the details, since doing so would overlook the meaning of this story, so, I strongly advise you to brace yourselves for what you are about to hear", he warned as we settled into our seats. He took a sip of his bourbon and continued. Immediately, his voice deep as the river, began to paint a picture of a tragic London evening and I could almost feel the static-like mist pouring over the buildings in a ghostly tidal wave.

"It was particularly chilly that night; I remember just having finished up a poker game in one of the hovels they called a pub. The thick London fog enveloped my body as I stepped outside to have a smoke- naturally, I was…tougher…in those days-, seeing as it was one of the few human habits apart from poker that I enjoyed.

I took a drag and exhaled a smoky cloud; its spidery tendrils weaving endlessly towards the sky. After stamping out the last of my cigarette, my thoughts traveled to the lump of money I had resting in my pocket. Casually I took my winnings out of their casing and leafed through them: a total of nine-hundred and fifty pounds I had counted. Content with this pleasant outcome of the evening, I began to head off. Suddenly, the dim street I was walking on was flooded in yellow light as an irate drunkard stumbled determinedly towards me.

'Oi! Lacroix, you damned cheat!' he shouted as he held up a playing card.

My memory jumpstarted as I remembered him being one of the dregs I had beat at that damnable game. And I recognized that card as my lucky ace."

Ambrose and I gazed at him with equal expressions of astonishment. Alistair gazed back with a feigned innocence, but his playful grin, ever the trademark, hinted at the corners of his mouth.

"What? You surely didn't think I accumulated that amount of money through pure _skill_ now did you? That ace, or rather, my consistent use of it was what turned me into a demon in the first place. Now, as I was saying, the drunkard was now within twenty paces of me, and waving my lucky card about madly.

'Whatever do you mean dear sir?' I asked coyly

'You know damn well what I mean you fucking scumbag!' he sneered. Without warning, the crazed man lunged at me with the ferocity of a jungle cat! I'm ashamed to say that he managed to land quite a powerful blow to my jaw; luckily, for my sake, that was the only one he ever got to swing.

You see, I had been living on a soulless stomach for quite a while and needless to say, I was a little grumpy. That blow to the face, and no less my ego, had me seeing red. However, I knew that ripping him limb from limb with my bare hands would draw unnecessary attention. So, I took my gun out of its holster and shot him.

'Wha-?' was all he groaned as he and his head, now an unrecognizable hunk of meat, fell to the stony ground with a heavy thump. I gazed at his body with cold eyes as I blew the smoke from my gun, realizing that his soul was so corrupt and blackened, it wasn't worth eating. Instead, I walked closer so that I loomed over him; blood spurting from where the bullet had entered. For a while, I simply gazed at him with disgust. In my perspective, his kind was the embodiment of pure evil.

I had my vices, certainly, but not at the same lowly level as this man and I believed that he should leave this earth in the same way a roach does. I silently wished him to an eternity in the fiery bowels of hell. Not wanting to look at him any longer, I callously and slowly began crushing his skull with the heel of my boot; relishing in the crunching sound as the bloody mass cracked apart like a hardened egg until it completely broke apart with a satisfying '_cruck_' .

I scraped the cerebral tissue off of my shoe on the sidewalk, and continued on my way; disappearing into the mist.

Without realizing it, I had walked onto an empty fairground. Having nothing better to do, I entered into the giant big top tent and scrounged around. Upon entering I saw nothing of immediate interest and proceeded to exit, that is, until I saw something glint in the moonlight.

I walked towards it and was pleasantly surprised as my eyes roamed over a golden necklace with an inlaid ruby. I picked it up for inspection and carefully turned it over in my fingers. It was genuine alright, which meant that I had crossed into the rich part of town. It's amazing what humans just throw away.

There was a trunk in the corner, and to my surprise, it was unlocked! I lifted the lid only to be disappointed; there was nothing inside save for an ugly doll. But, it looked pricey enough and it was in good condition (not to mention porcelain), so I took that too; figuring I could sell it to some street vendor for a pretty penny.

I gave myself a satisfied 'Hmph!' and lifted the flap of the tent before leaving. The smattering of hay that was scattered about the fairground crunched softly with the cool, brisk air as I walked in the direction of the exit.

Once more I had found myself in the back alleys- I wasn't quite sure what about them drew me in- but this time, they were in a higher class neighbor hood. This seemed like a prime area to find some good quality souls, but alas, not a soul was out. I gave a dejected sigh and continued walking. That is, until I heard soft sobbing.

I could barely make out the sorrowful sound, but eventually I located its source. There, just behind a dumpster, was a pale and bruised arm. Instinctively I moved the giant rubbish bin, sending local alley cats and vermin skittering elsewhere. Time stopped as my eyes were met with the grisly sight of a female child. She couldn't have been any older than eight.

Her naked body, exposed to the elements, was dirty and bloodied. Bruises, horridly purple and black, marked the shapes of adult fingerprints around her neck and arms. I dared not let my eyes venture towards the area where her innocence was stolen; however, one couldn't help but look at her legs and thighs. Cut, and in some places, chunks were removed; the amount of blood that drained from her lower body only hinted at the ferocity of the crime.

Sweeping my terror-stricken eyes back to her upper body, I noticed the garish slashes that were carved at the sides of her mouth; making her appear to have a twisted grin on her face. However, my attention was stolen by her eyes.

Wide and staring helplessly into the starry sky, tears slid from their corners and down her delicate cheek onto the filthy ground below her. They unexpectedly met mine as they bore into my heart, or whatever had taken over its place, as if they were saying '_help me'._

To this day I'll never know what overcame me, but without hesitation I removed my coat and swaddled her tiny body within its depths. And, oh, how violently she shivered! Even as I held her close to my chest, and with the protection of the heavy coat, I could still feel her body racking trembles.

I tentatively touched a hand to her head. She emitted a particularly loud sob that had me retract it quickly out of fear. Unsure of what I was doing, I remained in the alleyway; awkwardly holding a bloody child who was near death.

"H-have you come to finish me o-off?" an evanescent voice said.

I peered at the bundle only to be met with two enormous eyes gazing at me forlornly. I didn't know how to respond to this.

'I don't mind if you do y'know. Nobody w-would miss me…', and with this she fell into a period of heart-rending sobs. Her body jerked convulsively with each sharp intake of breath.

I did my best to soothe her by imitating the back-rubbing movements I saw many mothers do. However, seeing as it didn't come naturally for me, it was more abrasive than comforting", Alistair paused his story to softly chuckle but it quickly died away as he took on a serious tone," but, I suppose just having something warm to wrap herself into was enough to quell her wails. A few moments after her crying subsided, I decided to move where it was warmer.

I took her to my current living quarters at the time- which was a little apartment I rented above the local bakery- and cleaned her up a bit. First thing I did was use a little of my ability to heal her wounds sufficiently.

They had all but disappeared except for her facial wounds, which were silvery scars. After I bathed and dressed her in one of my shirts (which was all I could offer), I gave her a loaf of French bread and urged her to eat. She was reluctant at first, but soon her cheeks were bulging with food.

She definitely perked up after the first bite, and with the tea I gave her, the rosiness in her cheeks began to come back. So, I decided it was alright for some questions.

'What's your name little 'un?' I asked gently. She sniffed and moved her arm to wipe at her nose. That didn't go unnoticed and, fortunately, I had a handkerchief handy. She looked at me sheepishly as she took it and blew her nose.

'…'phelia', she said through a mouthful of bread.

'Pardon?' I asked

She scowled at me, 'Aphelia', she said firmly.

I raised my eyebrows but then assumed that her irritability was due to her heightened emotions, so I let it go with a nod of my head.

'I see. Do you have any parents Aphelia?' her fiery expression became subdued as she lowered her eyes to the floor. One hand rested on her knees, which where pulled into her chest, while the other tiny hand went to the top of her head. With her body practically drowning in my shirt, she looked almost like a miniature monkey.

'…yeah…' she said softly.

'Do you know where they are?' I asked carefully.

'…uh-huh…' she nodded as her eyes were starting to glisten.

'Would you mind telling me where they are?'

She shook her little head hopelessly 'They're in Africa…'

Not quite expecting that answer, I was rendered speechless for a moment before I continued,'…and why weren't you with them?' I ventured softly.

'They went there to get away…because…b-because…they…didn't _want_ me…or my sisters…' her lip trembled.

'Oh,' I tried to figure out how to ask my next question tactfully, 'are your sisters still…when was the last time you…where did you…' I failed tremendously.

'My sisters are probably dead, and the last place I saw them was at the orphanage! But the nuns made me sent me away to the asylum because they thought I was crazy - PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME GO BACK THERE!' She babbled frantically before she entered into a fit of hysterical sobs.

I had no idea what to do! For an undeterminable amount of time I remained where I was simply watching the little creature bawl. I had never been so speechless!

Deciding that I had to do_ something_, I cautiously approached the child and gingerly patted her on the head.

'Shh-shh-shhhh…you're okay…no ones gonna hurt you…there's a good girl…dry your eyes…it's alright…hush now', and the words repeated themselves over and over until she had calmed down.

After a lengthy period of time, her breaths became tired and ragged as I held her steady. Worried that she had succumbed to a concussion or some such, I gently shook her.

'Hey mister! Why you gotta go an' do that? ...I was sleeping…' she mumbled crossly at me. I laughed softly to myself before gathering her up to taking her to bed.

I had only one bed in the apartment but I didn't mind in the slightest as I pulled back the covers and tucked her in snugly for the night. It's not like demons require sleep anyhow. I remember standing over her for a time, simply gazing at the cherubic expression that fell over her slumbering form.

Without thinking, I gently ran my fingers down the sides of her milky cheek; it was cool to the touch and as smooth as porcelain. I couldn't help myself as I pressed my lips against her delicate face. After my goodnight kiss had left its touch, she uttered the sweetest sound and an angelic smile appeared!

Again, I found myself marveling at what some humans just throw away.

I retired from the room and decided that a recreational nap would be quite pleasant. I rested myself on the body length sofa in the sitting room area, staring at the wall for a few hours before blacking out.

Imagine my surprise when I awoke to find a tiny lump curled into my side. I peered down and found Aphelia scrunched up into a most unnatural position, clutching to the fabric of my shirt.

I gently shook her awake, 'Hey little one, wake up now' She stirred, ever so groggily, and rubbed at her eyes with her chubby little hands.

'Hmm?' she hummed

I smiled, 'Did you sleep well?'

She smiled back at me through hooded lids and gave a single nod. I smoothed her hair back in its proper place- it had been sticking up in several different directions- ; most prominent was a giant cowlick on the back of her head. It was all too endearing!

I asked her why she didn't stay in the bedroom but she didn't truly answer my question at first. Instead she danced around the topic, and told me irrelevant things like how she thought the bedspread was nice, but she thought the curtains were tacky.

Those curtains were a gift! But that's beside the point; I knew there was something more than what she was telling me.

'Where you, perhaps, frightened?' I had asked, taunting her a bit.

'No!' she began fiercely then added quietly, 'well, kinda…'

'Oh? However do you mean?'

'I…don't like your mirrors…'

I gave her a rather dry look and suppressed a sigh. The last thing I wanted to hear was more attacks on my interior decorating.

'Right then, if your going sit there and insult me-'

'Nunna nunna no! It's not like that! I mean- I'd _like_ to tell you- but I'm scared y'might think I'm weird or something…'

'Now, what makes you think I would think that?'

She shrugged and turned her head away. 'I dunno…', she mumbled dejectedly, 'cuz everybody else seems to have a problem with it…'

'Well now, I doubt its anything seriously abnormal! Besides, there are much stranger things in this world then you may be aware of- believe me, I know…- some may even be right under your nose!' I playfully poked the said nose and finished somewhat sympathetically, 'Even if it is something so strange that it belongs in a circus tent, its not like I'll throw you out on the seat of your trousers with the morning paper!'

The child didn't look very convinced.

After a moment of awkwardness, I asked her 'Would you care to talk about it?'

She hastily shook her head, 'I'd rather not say anything, thank you very much all the same.' She had crossed her arms and formed her mouth into a tight pout, with her chin jutting out defiantly.

I respectfully bowed my head, 'Very well then'

I had to admit that I was disappointed that I had not gained any extra information from this child, but I suppose pestering her wouldn't help any. I set her off of my lap and made my way into the kitchen area to start breakfast for the little one. I reached under the counter to retrieve a skillet, however, just to my luck, one could not be found. So, I spent the better part of twenty minutes searching for the damned thing!

I dug further in the back, making all sorts of racket, and after banging my head a few times too many, grasped onto it's handle!

'Aha! Found you, you blasted devil…' I mumbled before resurfacing. However, all of the hairs on my body stood up on end as the tip of my nose brushed against a certain child's.

I gave a start and flinched back a bit, but quickly regained my composure; straightening out my shoulders and making certain that my eyebrows had descended from their hair-line hiding place.

I cleared my throat, 'May I help you?'

'Nah…' was the response. I stared at her, bemused, for a time until she spoke up again.

'I was just wonderin' what you were doin'. Sounded like a bunch of raccoons in here…' she said, rocking back and forth on her heels shyly.

'I'm simply making breakfast m'dear', I said getting up.

'Oh….', there was a nagging feeling in the back of my neck that made me think that she had more to say, 'can I watch?'

'_May_ you watch', I absently corrected while gathering the appropriate utensils, 'and I suppose you may.'

It started off with an awkward quiet that gradually transformed into comfortable silence which, after she had asked if I would kindly put more sugar in the mix- I was making pancakes- turned into a steady stream of jib-jab as the child babbled on about this and that.

'…and it's not like he ever cared for the color blue anyways, so I took his underwear and threw it in the lake!' she giggled to herself.

"Mmm-hmm", I hummed as I gave yet another nod, you see, apparently I had added a little too much of something into the mix and so the consequence was that it became the consistency of cement. A large majority of my attention was now focused on trying to retrieve the spoon, so I was only half listening to her.

'But in all serious-ness, I think that if I was a bird I would go ice-skating on the lake in the winter! Wouldn't that be fun?'

'Mmm-hmm', I nodded as I not only managed to save my precious spoon, but finally created a pancake that looked visually appealing!

'Yeah, I think that would be fun. Say! I bet _that's_ what happens when we die, huh! We turn into little critters that live in the woodlands and have tea parties with fairies- 'she stopped to take a breath- 'and then, to bring in the new seasons of course, we all go ice skating on frozen lakes that have magical healing powers! Huh?'

You poor, poor, disillusioned little thing

'Mmm-hmm', I hummed again as I led her to the table where I had her sit down. She continued talking as I placed her food on a plate and set it before her.

'That's quite a fascinating notion!' I lied, 'You can continue telling me all about it after you've eaten your breakfast' I said, making sure to tuck a napkin in her shirt.

She nodded and began eating. Satisfied that she was taken care of for the time being, I proceeded to clean up in the kitchen, but a sputtering from behind had me spinning around to face her again.

The pancakes that I had painstakingly made were left nearly untouched, save for a bite that had been cut out of them. However, she was spitting out what she had in her mouth (on the _floor_ I might add!) while making disgusted faces.

'What's the matter?' I asked concerned, though more for my pride than the child…

'It tastes like horse-shit!' she choked out indignantly

I had no idea what to say! All active thoughts halted in my mind for a period of eternity as I challenged myself to a mental argument over whether I should be scolding the child for her harsh language or whether I should be offended that she likened my cooking to muck in a stall!

'I'm sorry mister, but if _that's_ the kind of…_crap_…you've been eating this whole time it's no wonder you're so skinny! I bet you don't eat much at all do you?' her voice activated my brain functions again and I gazed down at her with a mixture of coolness and ire.

'Never mind my weight, and tell me, what is wrong with my cooking?'

'EVERYTHING! Didn't I already tell ya? It tastes like the back-end of a-'

'Yes, so you've mentioned!', I interrupted, taking a calming breath,' Now then, if you do not wish to finish it, hand the plate to me and I will take care of it.', I strode over to her and held out my hand.

She was more than happy to rid herself of the dish! She hastily thrust it in my palm as if it couldn't get away fast enough!

'Just know that you'll not get anything more to eat until lunch- which is about four hours away' I warned.

'Fine with me!' she said, too cheerfully for my liking.

'Alright then, I suppose you may go…play, or whatever it is you do, until then.' I let my annoyance seep into my tone.

'Ok' she said. The only problem was, she never moved! She stood in the same spot, staring at me and following my movements with her eyes. It was quite unnerving!

I did my best to ignore her as I took the plate to the sink and set it on the counter. Even as I lifted up the window to toss out the cakes I felt her eyes burn a hole through my cerebrum!

Finally, when I could stand it no longer, I spun around to face the child! I was about to snap at her about how its rude to stare and such, but then I saw how she was unconsciously fiddling with her hair while digging her foot into the floor as she stared at the ground awkwardly.

'Is something the matter?' I asked, hoping that perhaps she had the decency to feel guilty and apologize to my ego.

'Uh, well…there's not exactly anything to play with around here…'

My lips tightened into an annoyed line.

'Well then, I suppose you'll just have to_ find_ something to do' I said crisply as I turned my back to her. Again, it was quiet for a time until I sensed her to my immediate right.

'Um…are you mad about something?' she asked innocently.

I paused from what I was doing (pretending to clean the sink) and tightened my grip on the sponge I was holding.

'I suppose you could say something along those lines…' I finally said coolly

'Was it something I did?' she sounded fearful. I looked down at her with the full intention of telling her off, but I made the mistake of looking directly at her big, misty eyes.

All ire I had previously melted away. Instead, I sighed a bit and put a hand on her head.

'No, not really. I admit I was a little upset when you rejected my food', I gave her a look, 'but in all honesty, I've never been good at cooking.'

She smiled up at me and placed both of her hands on top of mine; holding it to her head like a cap that might fall off,' Good, 'cause I have a habit of saying stuff that I don't really think about, and I hurt people's feelings sometimes. Though, I don't really care if I hurt someone I don't like, but I would never want to hurt your feelings mister! Not ever!'

I couldn't help but smile back at her earnest face. 'But,' she continued,' you have to admit that those pancakes were God-awful!'

She burst into laughter when my smile suddenly vanished. 'You little imp!', I half-jokingly said as I mussed her hair. She giggled with glee as she grinned up at me with what was indeed an impish smile.

Suddenly, the image of that ugly little porcelain doll popped itself into my head. Perhaps she'd enjoy it more than me since I certainly had no use for it!

'Aphelia, how well do you like dolls?', I asked with a slight smile

'Lots!', she responded enthusiastically.

'Well then, I believe I have a little friend I'd like you to meet', I took her hand and led her to the closet. I opened the mahogany doors and pulled out a chest.

'Go ahead and open it', I told her, gesturing to the chest with my head.

She did so and was rewarded with the sight of the doll. Quite frankly, I didn't much care for the horrid little thing, but the gasp that Aphelia emitted told me that she really did.

'He's perfect!', she gushed with loveable excite,' Thank you so much! I love him!'. Without warning, she barreled into me and wrapped her arms around my mid-section.

Shocked, I stared down at her until after a few seconds, during which I awkwardly patted her head.

To be honest, I never was good with children. In fact, one could say I did everything in my power to avoid the little monsters! So, imagine the panic I felt when I realized that she was crying!

Terrified that perhaps I had offended her in some way, I pulled her off of me so I could get a better look at her.

'Are you alright? What's the matter my dear?'

'…n-nuffin',…it's just…that's the nicest thing anyone's done for me in a long while!', she bawled through her tears

I didn't much know what to say, so I simply kneeled down to her and enveloped her in a hug. After she calmed down to a reasonable state, I tried coaxing some information out of her.

'Now then', I started, straightening out her clothes,' no more tears, alright?'

She rubbed at her eyes and nodded.

'If you don't mind my asking, would you tell me a little bit about yourself?'

'Well, what do you wanna know?', she replied softly

'Just enough for me to understand you', I smiled at her.

She smiled back and nodded, 'Ok,' she began' It started with our parents. They were considered beautiful people; only superficially though. My mother was lovely- almost like a living cameo- but she was a cold woman. Never did she once hold any of us, me or my sisters that is, so we did our best to fulfill our lack of maternal attention with our maid, Nan. Well, that's what we called her anyways, never knew her real name.

Our Father was very…_formal_. We weren't allowed to just casually walk into his study- where he was found 90% of the time- and have a chat with him. Nope. Only when we were called, and the calls were mostly to scold us about our lack of ambition and lackadaisy-call attitudes, did we ever get to see him. I think he just looked for excuses to pick on us! Since I was his eldest daughter, he mostly called me up. I didn't mind too much because that meant my sisters didn't have to listen to his criti…criti…', she paused to scratch her head.

'Criticism?', I offered

'Ya that word!' she nodded

'Anything else?'

She stopped and pondered for a moment, 'Oh! We could _never _call him daddy. I would call him that sometimes, and then he would smack me' Her eyes softened slightly,'…but, I would still call him that- kinda on purpose I guess- because, I thought that if he could just get used to it…then maybe he could love us a little more. Y'know?

One night, he told us that we were gonna go on a family trip that night. I was super excited! My sisters weren't so sure but soon they caught the spirit as well. The excitement made it hard to sit still in the carriage; along the way Avanthe began to notice the lack of people and kept saying that we were going to travel by boat! I told her she was dumb because quite clearly we were gonna travel by train!

All of us were floored when the carriage stopped in front of a girl's home.

The headmistress took us in, as we watched our parents- who went to Africa together without a second look at us- leave our lives forever. The first week there was hard, but soon we began to fit right in. I think the fact that we had each other to lean on helped us through.'

She paused and smiled, then continued seriously ,' After about two weeks, I noticed that the orphanage would get drastically cold randomly; so cold that frost would gather on the window panes! The kicker was that, neither of my sisters really took much notice. They said it was just the area we were in. I however was convinced that there was something more but let it go.

Well, one particular night, I had a hard time sleeping and woke up with three horrible scratches along each of my arms. It was then that my suspicions were confirmed! I told one of the nuns who escorted me to the headmistress, and I told her I believed the place was haunted.

The headmistress tried to calm me down first but I was too spooked. She kept feeding me garbage about some bloke named Christ but I had no desire to listen. She musta thought I was either crazy or satanic, because she called a psychiatrist. I told her I didn't need a goddamn psychiatrist which, you can imagine, didn't blow over too well.

One thing led to another and I found myself being forcibly removed from the room by men in white suits.

Fortunately they came _after_ I bit the bitch's ear off!

Eventually I was admitted into the psychiatric ward at the Gleneden Asylum, fifty miles north of the Orphanage. I was led in by my leash to a padded room, with a particularly nasty cellmate.

He began bullying me the second they bolted the doors shut. I can hardly remember the asshole's name….Hank, or something dumb like that….but I do recall him slamming me to the ground.'

My eyes widened as her story grew increasingly dramatic, but I said nothing as she carried on.

'Then, I blacked out. Well, sort of. I was somewhat conscious, since I could see what was going on in the room, but everything was in black and white, and I couldn't move. It was really scary. I heard a real deep voice speak to me, saying something along the lines of 'half-life' and 'pact'. Then he asked something that I didn't really understand- something about 'accepting this fate'. All I did was say yes, then the room came spinning back in color, and Hank- or was it Harrold?- was looking at me with big fat meanie-ness in his face. He was teasing me again, and I got pissed. Next thing I know, Hogarth is dead on the floor, and I'm holding his lower jaw in my hand. It was icky. The owner of the place, Lord Clandenstine, had me moved to the intensive care that was at his house. I guess I did pretty good there because he always gave me presents and had me eat with him. I remember drinking something, then I felt very sleepy. Only thing I remember after that is you', she shrugged and smiled at me.

I remained still as her tale ended; my eyes unblinking and mouth slightly agape, my mind a swirling vortex of astonishment. Aphelia tried shaking me back to the present, but to no avail. She looked at me one last time with sorrow as she gave an aggrieved sigh.

'Ok, mister I get it,' she sniffled pathetically,' I'll just go ahead and be on my way…'. She shuffled her feet to grab the remainder of the bread, and sulked on her way out.

I blinked myself back to reality just as she had opened the door.

'And just where, praytell, do you think you are going? Especially with my bread?', I asked her

She had crocodile tears rolling down her cheeks,' I dunno, I just wanna go somewhere where I can stay outta everybody's hair forever! Goodbye mister! It was n-nice to know ya!', she gave a pitiful salute.

I inwardly rolled my eyes at her theatrics while she shut the door behind her. A quick look outside of my window found Aphelia standing on a street corner- looking pathetic- motioning to hitchhike.

With an ungentlemanly snort, I simply strolled to where she was and casually brought her back inside as if she were nothing more than the morning paper.

'Noooo~! Please! I don't wanna be a burden upon you! Let me gooo!', she protested and kicked. I ignored her until she tried wriggling out of my grasp to escape to the door again, to which I gave her a small swat to cease her actions.

Hands rubbing at the spot, she glared up at me- now her sudden attacker- and pouted.

'You know, if you keep making that face, it shall freeze in that position. Then everybody will be scared of you forever!', I teased.

"No they won't!"

* * *

A few weeks had passed by and I took it upon myself to ensure Aphelia learned enough to be able to go back out into the world again. Don't get me wrong, I liked the kid and all, but I didn't want her hanging around forever!

Call it a personal mission if you will, but I figured I would teach her a few basic skills, such as speaking proper English- not that chopped up hash she spewed- and basic arithmetic. On top of that, I would improve her social skills by teaching her the art of politeness and what was and was not appropriate to speak of in respectable conversation.

'Aphelia darling, do stop that shouting will you? Your sweet ol' Allie is hung', I moaned from my velvet backed chair. Aphelia was in the middle of one her numerous adventures with that ugly little doll that she's taken a liking to. She even named it. I believe it was something along the lines of Jake or Jazz or some such. This time, he seemed to have landed himself in quite the bind.

He was tied, with a shoestring, to a leg of the coffee table with two socks, a fountain pen, and an evil looking pocket watch holding him hostage.

She looked up with surprise as I stirred her back to reality.

'Hung? What's that mean?', she asked with curiosity.

'It means I have a plethora of malicious little mites pounding the insides of my cranium with their sledgehammers', I grumbled painfully with a hand on my head.

'Oooooh! And what are they doin' that for? Are they looking for something?'

'I suppose...'

'And what would that be?', she asked excitedly

I groaned as her seemingly grating voice rattled around in my skull,' My common sense…..'

'Huh?', she asked far too loudly.

'Ugh, nevermind m'dear, now why don't you run along and play?', smiled half-heartedly as I shooed her away with my hand.

I heard her moving about but paid no mind since I had no desire to open my poor eyes. I gave a start, however, when a sopping wet cloth was slapped on my head.

'What in the name of-?', I shouted, which I immediately regretted.

'Well, I heard when you don't feel good, you gotta put cold stuff on your head to make the bad stuff go away', Aphelia said from her alarmingly sudden appearance next to me in the chair. I must have been throwing her a nasty glare because she wouldn't look at my face, and she was twiddling her thumbs and kicking her feet.

I recovered from the initial shock and smiled genuinely at her as I patted her head,' Well thank you poppit, this will definitely help.'

She smiled and turned to walk away when I remembered to ask her abou-", Alistair abruptly stopped and focused his eyes on the parlor door. Alert and suddenly aware of another presence, Ambrose and I began to tense up our bodies. Alistair had moved from his chair and began stalking towards the door. His eyes were glowing.

A low growl could be heard from the other side of the door, a growl that did not belong to any creature of this realm. Prepared to attack, Alistair reached for the handle and was about to turn it, when Ambrose and I noticed a tiny head peek in from the archway on the opposite side of the room.

"Alistair? Will you come read to me?", she asked.

I glanced over at the old Grandfather clock in the corner and saw that it was half past one in the morning. I looked back at Aphelia and noticed her wide eyes with dark circles beneath them. The girls had been put to bed over four hours ago, and she hadn't been to sleep yet.

It took Alistair a few moments to register that he had been addressed. He subtly shook his head and walked over to Aphelia calm as ever. He took her by the hand and as we bid her goodnight, led her out of the room. I could hear their voices as they ascended the stairs.

"I apologize my dear, it seems I had lost track of the time"

"Aw its alright. You did forget to cover one of the mirrors , however, and so I had to wait out in the hallway!"

"I'm dreadfully sorry"

"So what were you lookin' at in the sitting room?"

"Ah, I was simply analyzing the wood grains", he covered flawlessly

"….."

"….."

" Oh, ok…bloody nutter"

After I heard her door shut, Ambrose and I opened the other door where we heard growling moments before.

"It seems a bit chillier but not much else is different", Ambrose commented as he surveyed the area.

Ready to leave, I turned to exit only to notice some discoloration on the banister.

"Ambrose, have a look at this", his eyes snapped over to where I directed. I watched him as he ran a finger over the discolored wood. It was if all the vibrancy had been sucked out of it, and it had the consistency of ash. He furrowed his eyebrows and lifted his eyes to meet mine.

I heard his silent question of confusion clearly. I knew that, though my question about the mirror hadn't been completely answered, the story behind was a lot trickier and horrifying than some mere childish fear.

* * *

**That wraps up this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave me some comments, I love hearing from you guys, both constructive-critiscism and praise! Until next time! :D**


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